Across The Universe
by Hack.Drawer
Summary: Two catmen working for One Piece discover a stowaway in their ship. Their boss, Nami, identifies him as a prince that had been labeled 'dead' years ago. The One Piece crew then find themselves in over their heads when they make the decision to get involved with the Vinsmoke family drama. AU, Animal Characteristic, SPACE DRAMA/ROMANCE/ANGST
1. The Stowaway

**1 : The Stowaway**

The job was simple enough – the rugged dealer who smelled like sewage and sweated like a faucet paid them their credits up front. All he did was touch his wrist comm-screen to Nami's outstretched palm.

"I don't know what it is, and I don't care," the dealer said, their translator picking up his fuzzy words. His snout dripped with fluid, which made Trafalgar Water D. Law cringe, ears twitching slightly, seeing it catch on his upper lip and then snorted in so hard that the man's eyes watered with the force of it.

"It's all here!" she announced, snapping her blue, shimmery fingers. She emerged from the wristlet Law wore on one wrist, a dull gold device that carried her whenever they left the ship. He was on Nami Duty, after Zoro ended up tucking the device into their cargo bay toolbox the last time, tired of hearing her. "Load it up, boys!"

"It's not that heavy, actually," Zoro Roronoa said, heaving the seven by seven box up on his back, and then making his way up the ship's ramp.

"If his back goes out again, I'm not paying for a chiropractor," Nami told Law sternly, reaching over and flicking one black ear, the shimmer of the action occurring only as a flicker of light, not as a physical action. His ear twitched anyway.

"Make sure it doesn't come back here," the dealer said, using his suit sleeve to wipe his nose. "Something fishy about it. Had some Imperials sniffing around here the other day."

"Did you at least open it and see what was inside?" Law asked, feeling uneasy about the mention of anything royal.

"No. That's not my job. It says it needs to remain 'unopen', so I left it be. You may as well as pay heed to it, too. Don't want to be caught up in some trouble you ain't even asked for," the dealer said, waving him off as he made his way back to the crowded warehouse, where alien workers of all shapes and sizes worked to sort out the mail for this galaxy's territories.

Law looked at Nami, the holographic woman with large breasts, tiny waist and pixels in the form of stars covering up her womanly parts. Her seemingly solid form had human men nearly snapping their necks to catch a glance at her. Her long orange hair was pulled up in a careless bun atop of her head, and her bare feet shuffled over the grimy tile of the warehouse floor. She was frowning with concentration as she looked the packaging slip over.

The three of them were mostly ignored, being that they were transporters with an ugly ship. He and Zoro were catmen from a distant planet within the North Blue sector of the universe, from the Windmill galaxy. His ears were visible from the wild tuft of his dark blue hair, black and pointed, with two earrings each, above the Henry's flap. His claws were slightly curved from long, spindly fingers, and he had a tail that was currently twitching against the calves of his legs. His canines were visible when he spoke – his vertical pupils widened slightly to allow him to see better in the dingy light.

Zoro had the same features, only his ears were rounded, and he had furry black stripes down the sides of his neck that spread to his shoulders. His hair and fur were a dark green, and he had bright green eyes that always looked sleepy. His nails were constantly being chewed on so they were raggedy, allowing him to handle his swords more comfortably.

Sometimes, when the pair grew excited, they most often yowled like cats, hissed and snarled when words failed them. Which only happened when dog-like Luffy was around to cause trouble. Nami had started calling them The Mangy Cat and Dumb Ass Tiger, not bothering to use their real names. Neither of them felt any way about it, considering she called her own husband That Fucking Dog.

"Says it came in from Watershed, which is a Fishman territory, over there on the south end of this galaxy. Its end destination is unclaimed territory over in the East Blue galaxy of the Grandline. Huh. Nothing fishy about it if it's coming from Fishman territory."

"Har, har."

"Let me look further from it's origin point, but in the meantime, you two don't mess it up. It's an easy job. All you have to do is take it from point A to point B," she said, looking up at him, gesturing grandly with her arms so that her breasts swung heavily with the action. "There is nothing hard about it, unless you two get a case of the munchies and try looking for fish. In that case, there is _no_ fish to found here, so don't bother looking!"

"I can't believe you allowed us this small of a job to take on ourselves," Zoro said, returning from the ship's bay, tail flicking before he curled it around his waist, like a belt. "What'd we do to piss you off?"

"Just get it over with, I don't want to hear anymore complaints! Look, I'm sorry if you both feel that this sort of thing is beneath you, but after what That Fucking Dog did to the Sunny, it's all we have right now," Nami said, face darkening at the mention of her husband. "Franky and Bepo are doing everything they can to fix it."

"Oh yeah," both catmen muttered, looking cross as the memory revisited them.

"Take advantage of this moment, you shitty animals," she said, making her way back to the Merry Go, her hips moving fluidly, causing human men to stumble over each other to look at the hologram walking up the ramp of the ship.

"So _embarrassing_ ," Zoro muttered, arms crossed over his chest, looking in the other direction with his ears flattening.

"You'll know that it's impossible for human women to move in that fashion, unless they were double jointed. It's statistically impossible to – "

" _Shaddup_ , nerd."

The Merry Go was a small cargo ship that required only two pilots. It was space junk, put together with minimal parts. It was triangular in form, the wings curved slightly, the underbelly a stark white, and while it handled well in jumpspeed, it tended to wobble upon atmospheric re-entry and caused its pilots anxiety when alarms went off randomly without explanation.

But it was Luffy's first ship, and he refused to give it up.

Space made Law sick. It made his gut churn with anxiety because there was absolutely nothing above and below him, and the lack of gravity sometimes made him feel as if he were continuously falling, with nothing to hold onto. Stars were scattered all around them, in brilliant burning balls of gas that changed color, and the universe was endless. As they passed by slow spinning planets, sometimes the sound changed in the ship's chambers. Sometimes it was just a continuous vibration of air, and sometimes it was a high pitched whistle. Shifting radio frequencies that the ship's intercom picked up, that almost sounded like some ghostly orchestra.

When they passed by planets, the light reflected made it seem like there were headlights being shone right at them. He could look out the windows and stare at them as they passed, but he'd immediately feel sick, feeling they could fall into its orbit and crash onto some distant surface. He was terrified of falling, of crashing. Of being ripped apart in space, killed by barotrauma.

He wanted to enjoy the sight – space was beautiful. With all of its oily colors in the distance, with the swirl of gases in a huge orb of mass – the shifting galaxies with their ever spinning magnificence; it was all beautiful on picture. But in the midst of it, Law hated it. It made him regret taking the job offer Luffy had extended to him on a whim. But the money had been worth it, and he was able to send most of it back home.

After Zoro set their destination, Law adjusted the headset around his skull so that the headphones were near his ears, and monotonously asked for clearance from the gates that controlled all space traffic in and out from the planet's dingy atmosphere. Once they received it, the codes returned to the gatekeeper without fanfare, Zoro pushed the Merry Go into a smooth cruise away from the bright blue gates. Then he turned on the music player, and Johnny Cash began singing about how fickle a woman was, loving him only to turn to another.

' _You're gonna break another heart, tell another lie_ …'

"This is the slowest it's ever been," Zoro complained, yawning. "Nothing exciting ever happens."

"Don't jinx yourselves," Nami warned, her form being cast from Merry's own system. She looked up from a clipboard, where she'd just performed a diagnostic of the ship. "How heavy was that box, Dumb Ass?"

"I don't know. 72 kilograms, give or take."

"I didn't think it'd be that heavy. I'm concerned about the fuel reserves Merry needs in order to get to the East Blue."

"I know of _some_ weight we can dump," Zoro muttered, propping his boots up on the dash, arms folded behind his head as his ears flicked. Around his neck was a pair of goggles, bandanna wrapped around one arm. He was wearing a black vest over a white shirt with long, billowy sleeves. He wore a dingy piece of armor over his left shoulder, his hips holding aloft three swords and a single gunbelt with a blaster hanging from it. His black pants were slightly fitted, tucked into brown boots with multiple straps that clinked with each step.

"I am part of the ship, you can't dump me!" she said impatiently. "No matter how hard you try, if either of you try and disable me, you can't run the ship. Is this clear?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"You, Mangy Cat, did you pick up the supplies I'd asked of you?"

"It's in the kitchen."

"Did you look through it?"

"I wasn't asked to."

She stared at him with irritation. He was well over six feet, wearing a black short sleeve hoodie shirt and a corset-style vest. His retractable sword with purple grip, red rope and white animal fur trim on the hilt would flare blue when pulled, and the holster clung to the left side of his back, drawn quickly when needed. His black pants had gold pinstripes on them, and was rolled over a pair of black boots with gold wraps over the laces. His tattoos were dark against his white splotched skin, where an old disease had left its mark so violently that his people had ran him out of his city, convinced he was still infected. He'd yet to give much detail about his life, only giving away bare basics when it became fitting to a conversation. She suspected that this was his first time venturing out into space - he was rattled easy, and although he talked tough, there were moments where he was absolutely clueless with dangerous situations, or even normal situations on the ship.

"I swear, both of you are useless," Nami grumbled, tossing the clipboard aside, the image disappearing. She then changed the song, and the sound of the Bee Gee's singing to 'Stay Alive'. "Ugh, I hate your music. Listen up, it's your _meals_. You were supposed to go through them, look to make sure it was all there, then put them away."

"I'm sure they're all in there."

"All seven bags? You guys realize if you're missing one, you'll starve for two days."

"We'll just drink some water! Shit," Zoro grumbled. "All you do is complain!"

"Look, I realize neither of you care about…" Nami then paused, looking away from them. "Hold on. I'm registering movement from the cargo bay. I'm going to go look. One of you come with me."

"Are you scared, Nami? Because nothing can happen to you, considering you're a goddamn hologram," Zoro said impatiently.

"It's more for you two! What if it's an assassin?"

Both of them laughed.

"FINE! I'll be right back!" she snapped, disappearing from view.

" 'Assassin'," Zoro snorted. "Who'd want to kill _us_?"

"Old girlfriend, perhaps? Family?"

"None of that, my friend. I'm a clean slate. You?"

"Maybe I angered a few colleagues when I left, but I doubt they'd put effort in locating me just to kill me."

"Can you drop that proper speak? We're transporters, not scholars, here."

"I'm not apologizing for my speech." Law then thought about what the dealer had said, giving a frown. "He mentioned Imperials were in the area."

"I don't care about those guys. They've got bigger things to worry about." Zoro then opened an eye, looking at him. "Is it anything to you? We know _nothing_ about you."

"Not really."

Zoro waited for him to elaborate, but when Law didn't offer anymore, frowning stubbornly out the window, he shrugged. They had plenty of time to get to know one another – this journey was set for a week.

Nami reappeared, frowning. "I haven't seen anything. I'm scanning all security feeds throughout the ship. I register at least one other person on this ship."

"Really? A stowaway?" Zoro asked with curiosity, Law turning in his seat to look up with vague interest. "Is it dangerous?"

"That's the thing, I can't seem to pin it down. All I'm registering is an unusual amount of water moving through the pipes, so we've might've picked up a Water Mite."

" _Boring_!" Zoro muttered, sitting back in his seat while Law looked confused.

Nami brought up the image of an indecipherable form, which shimmered blue next to her. "They eat up moisture in a ship. It needs to be exterminated before it hits your fresh water supply."

"How do you do that?"

"Dumb Ass. Go show him how to exterminate those things," Nami commanded. She then frowned at her wrist. "Damn. The Dog's calling me. Call me if you need me."

Zoro gave her a thumbs up, and she was gone. Merry announced she was running on autopilot, and the ship gave a small shudder that made Law sick.

"Go check out the pipes by the kitchen. That's where they usually go," he said, yawning noisily. "I'm going to take a nap."

"Are they dangerous?" Law asked.

"No. Don't let them touch you, though. They'll suck the moisture all out of you."

"…That's _not_ dangerous?"

"You got this. I believe in you."

Tail flicking nervously, Law left the jumpseat.

"Oh, don't bother trying to slice it up, either," Zoro added. "You have to use a phaser gun to kill it. Aim for the nucleus in the center, that's its heart compartment."

"'Phaser', right," Law muttered, reaching for the cabinet at the back of the cockpit, and looking at the selection. There was only one left, with an extra charge pack thrown in. "There is only one."

"You only need one shot."

With a shrug, Law took the gun, then walked out of the cockpit, heading for the cargo bay at the back of the ship.

"Scaredy cat," Zoro muttered.

"I heard that!"

: :

Law didn't find anything, so he returned to the cockpit, tossing the gun on the dash. Zoro was asleep, and they had a week's worth of travel. Seeing that the man wasn't afraid of anything else, he intended on catching up with a nap as well. He took his seat and leaned back in it, settling his tail over his lap. In just moments, he was snoring slightly, listening to the ghostly whistle of changing frequencies that came in from the outside.

Unbeknownst to both of them, a quiet, cautious figure approached the cockpit. Dressed in dingy brown robes that had been sewn together from scraps of material that came from the trash, he resembled a trash heap figure. He had a thick beard, long, matted hair that was knotted at the ends, and smelled like he had just taken a roll through compost. Unable to speak any universal language, he'd long ago stopped trying for any sort of conversation with anyone, using gestures and action to get what he wanted.

Around his waist, he carried a small dagger, an oxygen mask and a single picture of an elderly man.

He peered in to examine to two sleeping men in the seats, then looked out the window beyond them. He felt his eyes widen with fascination at the sight of drifting stars, sucking in a small breath. This caused the man with green hair to shift and sit up, ears flicking, so he retreated from the doorway, hiding against the corridor wall with a frightened expression. Quickly, he made his way back to the cargo bay, hearing heavy footsteps tromping after him, grumbling noises edged with some sort of animal characteristic echoing off the narrow, metal walls.

He quickly climbed into the box and pulled the lid, hearing it latch quietly. Then breathed very shallowly and slow, crouching low in the box. He heard the man walking about, flicking on lights, and then visually examine the bay. He went from one end to the other, grumbling.

He didn't understand a single word the man said, the language barrier too great. But he could feel the other man's reluctance, his irritation, and it was because he'd been startled out of his nap. He heard the other man call out to him, the reply given lazily, and he sensed the first man's disregard to the second.

Their spill of words told him that there was no need for any distress or further investigation, as their footfalls led away from the cargo bay. He stayed in the box for a little while longer, sinking to his ass to the bottom, and examined his fingernails. Picking at them until he heard nothing more from them, he then curled up against the wall of the box and prepared to go to sleep. The two men were on alert, and he needed a little more time to figure out their schedule so he could continue to investigate what sort of ship he was on. All he knew was that he was being sent to the East Blue – far away from the Germa Empire.

: :

"Did you fart?" Law complained, covering his mouth and nose with the collar of his hoodie as Zoro looked at him with a scowl.

"If I did, you'd _know_ , you bastard."

"It's very foul. Wretched. Like there are _literally_ several bodies lying in your colon, breathing out."

"I smell it, too, and it's not me."

"Is the sewer system backing up again?"

"No, Franky said he'd fixed it. Brand new pipes."

"I can't eat like this," Law then said, looking down at the silver platter with reheated rations that didn't resemble what they were supposed to be. Sweet potato, roast beef and string beans looked nothing like the discolored lumps on his tray. Zoro's didn't look any different.

"Can't waste food."

"I know that. But that smell is…"

"I'm telling you, it's not me."

"Something died in here, then."

"You complain like a little bitch so much - !"

"Look, it's fine if you're fine with it, but I do not want to get used to this stench and have it be a part of me by the time we get there."

"I'll look for the smell, _shit_ ," Zoro grumbled, using his fingers to dig up the rest of his meal and stuff it into his mouth. He tossed the tray aside. "You get to do dishes."

"All it is is sticking it in a cubicle in the wall, it's not that hard of a task," Law muttered, ears flattening briefly as Zoro passed him, looking up at the vents high up on the narrow walls of their living space.

"It's worse over here," he heard Zoro comment, near the kitchen space. "We might have rodents on board. It left some of our food packages out on the counterspace."

"Like it was digging in the box?" Law questioning, furrowing his brow as he wondered how big of a creature it could be to pull the food box from the counterspace and upset it.

"Some of these things are huge, but…I don't know. Nami was asking about the weight of the thing, right?"

"Right. She mentioned it could be a Water Mite."

"Water Mites stay in pipes. They don't bother with food."

"Then we have a stowaway."

"Where could they hide? There is no where to hide, this shit ship is too small for hiding space," Zoro grumbled, the sound of a cat-like growl underneath his words.

" 'Shit ship'," Law repeated to himself, to use for another day.

"We probably picked it up from the warehouse. There were a lot of workers, there. We either kill it, or drop it off at the next station we come to."

"72 kilograms is a full grown man," Law said, examining the ceiling with interest. "So where could a man hide in this space?"

"Unless they're a Water Mite."

"Are they human?"

"No. They're bugs."

"Are they dangerous?"

"No."

"But they suck the moisture out of a human body, so how is this not dangerous?" Law insisted.

"They're just not! Okay? Calm down. You're yowling."

"I'm not 'yowling', I'm just curious!"

"Have you been to space before this?" Zoro asked curiously, returning to the small table that was pulled from the wall. The living space was located just behind the cockpit, and allowed only the furniture that could be pulled from the wall. There were beds tucked in there, as well as basic living room furniture. A television set. Battle-grams that they could spar when they had the time. Just beyond that was a very small bathroom that allowed only the basic essentials.

"Only twice for university tours. Otherwise, I had Nami assign me jobs on ground or sea only. She was cool with it until the Sunny was grounded."

Zoro frowned thoughtfully. This was his first mission with Law – they had plenty of interaction before, but not partnered for anything like this. Zoro was usually paired with Luffy, and Law traveled around with Bepo, but Luffy was 'grounded' and Bepo had to help Franky repair the Sunny. "I thought so. You're very jumpy."

"I'm not used to it, no. I'd rather work on firm surface ground, or even on the sea, but space is different."

"On hostile territory?"

"No."

"You're not giving me anything to form a picture, here," Zoro said, ears flicking as he took his seat back at the table. "Where are you from?"

With a reluctant sigh, Law picked at his sweet potatoes. "Look, you know our home was ravaged by an incurable disease. I managed to survive, but it left these scars on my skin. I learned how to hide them by using makeup. In _my_ hometown, if anyone were seen with these marks, they were taken and burned to prevent the spread of infection. The only reason why I survived was because my guardian at the time found me a cure."

"The devil fruit."

"Yes. It cured the disease, but left its mark. I made it through life until one day, during a surgery, the air conditioner died. And I started sweating like a pig. The makeup came off."

"That's when they ran you out?"

"Yes. Caused a mass panic. Every patient I'd ever worked on was certain they were given the disease, and because of it, my head was called for. I wasn't about to roll over and let them have it. I was given fare out of the planet under a stolen ID and found Nami's workshop not long after I'd landed on Earth. I thought, at the time, how hard could this job, be? All you do is drive things here and there, and you get paid for it."

He'd thought the man looked a little soft. It made sense that Law wasn't like the rest of them, considering how self-conscious he seemed holding his sword, how he knew nothing about 'being on alert'. But his short answers only raised more questions, because Zoro noticed how nervous he grew at the mention of anything 'Imperial'.

"It's not that hard," Zoro assured him. "Unfortunately."

"Fortunate for me. I have a sword, but I rarely use it. I'm not much of a fighter, like all of you seem to be. Most of my life, I'd worked and toiled at a university to get by."

"Well, you should train a little harder. You never know. One of these days, adventure will come and hit hard."

"I'm aware of that."

"You done eating?"

"I'm going to leave it here for a bit. I'll finish it throughout the next few hours."

"Look, let's go check in with Nami. It's been forty eight hours."

"Hopefully that smell goes away."

"Don't be such a _wimp_."

Half an hour later, Law returned to the table to eat a little more, but he was surprised to find his tray was emptied. He looked at Zoro suspiciously, but the man had been with him the entire time, griping about Nami's orders. He walked out from the cockpit to catch his look, then frowned down at the empty tray.

He looked around with determined expression, ears standing straight up as his tail straightened with alertness. "Let's go find this stowaway. That'll give us something to do."

"Hopefully it's not dangerous," Law muttered, tail flicking.


	2. The Unveiling

**A/N: I received reviews, but for some reason, they aren't showing. Hey, I'm glad there were other people that liked this idea!**

 **Guest: Read on to find out!**

 **Saemoon: Thank you!**

 **Alasse-m: All in due time, do their stories come out, friend. This chapter should reveal a little bit more to what could come.**

 **2: The Unveiling**

They tracked the smell to the box, and both of them walked around it curiously. It was held to the floor by a crisscross of hard ties that latched it firmly to anchors, preventing it from moving. Law had his mouth and nose covered, and Zoro's eyes watered. He coughed a few times, tail lashing as he kept a hand on a sword. He leaned in close to examine the seal of the box, and finding it undisturbed. He ran a finger over it, his ragged nails catching the sharp edge of the lid. He leaned in, sniffing, then retreated with a couple of coughs.

"It's _definitely_ coming from here," he said, waving a hand in front of him. His ears twitched, and Law stepped in, crouching to look at the bottom of it.

"Nothing's leaking from it. Maybe it's a body being sent home for burial," he mused. He winced at the smell escaping from it, narrowing his eyes with examination as he crouched next to it, touching the edge of the lid for any broken pieces of seal.

Zoro watched him for a moment, then looked down. Law then gave a yowl of pain as Zoro stepped on his tail, circling the box with a thoughtful expression. He jumped up, slamming hard against the box, the ties vibrating slightly as he bumped into them on his stumble away from it. " _Bastard_!"

"Sorry. Oh, but look. You opened it."

"If you hadn't stepped on my fucking tail - !"

"It was an accident."

Ears flattened with suspicion, Law glared at him, because Zoro didn't look apologetic. But then he was curious as Zoro stepped in, testing the weight of the lid that had moved with Law bumping into the box. Both of them approached it, ears twitching as they listened for anything out of place. The pair of them grabbed the lid with both hands, preparing to lift it.

"Curiosity killed the cats, remember?"

Both of them yowled involuntarily, darting away with hisses and growls, causing Nami to laugh at their reactions. Their fur stood straight up on their tails, and Zoro was armed with all his swords at once, while Law looked as if he finally remembered he had one, drawing his as well.

She glowed orange, today; her bottom half was covered with heart pixels, her breasts covered only by her hair. That was braided in some sections, and she had some sort of a jewelry crown dangling over the top of her head. On her wrists were various pieces of jewelry, and she clinked musically as she walked around the box with thoughtful examination of her own.

"Why is it open?" she asked sternly. "There were orders in that it wasn't to be opened."

"Law opened it. I was trying to stop him, that fiend."

Nami looked at Law with a frown, the catman looking at Zoro with outrage. So she glared at Zoro instead, because she was well aware of how he worked.

"But now that it's open, it smells bad," Zoro complained, returning to the box, tail at half mast, ears forward. "So we were only investigating it. It's making the entire place stink."

"If it's a body meant for burial, then leave it alone. You want to be trapped on this piece of junk with a ghost?" Nami warned, wandering up next to him as he grabbed the lid and began to lift up. Despite his earlier indignation, Law ventured forward curiously, sword at his side as the woman stood on her tiptoes, Zoro pushing the lid upward.

"Hmm. _Nothing_ ," she saw, looking in. But Zoro winced, holding his nose with one hand, the other pushing the lid to the side. It caught the ties and slid to the floor with a loud bang, Law holding his nose as he joined them, peering in. "Just cloth."

"It looks like a cape," Law said, using his sword to spear into the material and then lifting it up. Both him and Zoro reacted with disgust as the smell hit them, and Nami was thankful that she was only a hologram, watching as Law tossed it to the floor. All three of them peered back into the box, but there was nothing inside, so they returned their attention to the cape.

She crouched, knees to chest as Zoro and Law frowned at her position and walked around her to examine the material from a safe distance. "It looks…well used. Look at this thread. It doesn't all match. Whoever owned it kept it together using…twine? Food twine. Maybe."

"That's animal gut. Sinew," Law said, covering his nose as he reached out and touched the hard material.

Nami stood, hands on her hips, her hair artfully covering her breasts as they swung with her movement. "Watch out, guys. They use catgut for drums and guitar strings. You guys might be nice candidates for a poacher."

" _Please_ , bring it on," Zoro said while Law looked at her with distaste, automatically touching his stomach. "I'm itching for some excitement, here."

"This material doesn't all match," Nami pointed out. "It's discolored and worn, almost threadbare. Whoever owned it had it for a long time. Maybe this is being sent ahead for sentimental reasons, the only part of someone loved that could be recovered. Who knows?"

"If that's all it is," Law said, using his sword to pick it up and heft it back into the box.

Nami then turned with a thoughtful frown. "But I doubt it, because there's still someone else on board. Whoever it is, they're hiding in the kitchen, and raiding your counterspace. I hope you guys kept track of your food supplies. At this rate, you won't have anything to eat for a week."

Both of them hurried towards the kitchen, Nami sauntering after them, reappearing moments later in front of them. They saw that most of the food they had was scattered on the floor, counterspace, and the bags that held them were ripped open. Everything was a mess. The sink was running, and Zoro quickly turned it off, looking at the food that had been wasted. It was meant to be liquefied and reheated, to turn into the discolored mess that they'd had hours earlier; to have it exposed to oxygen rendered it useless, hardened it to near stone. Law picked up a chunk of what used to be spaghetti, examining the bite marks on it.

"Your stowaway doesn't know how to 'cook'," Nami stated, looking at bitemarks on a hard piece of chicken gravy. She peered into the open counterspace with a frown. "You've got two bags left. You'll both starve for at least _four_ days. Did you get rid of the Water Mite? Because then you'll be drinking recycled water at this rate."

"Haven't seen it," Zoro grumbled, ears flattened as Law gathered up the wasted food, dumping it into the waste bin nearby.

Nami tilted her head, then disappeared.

"Hope you don't mind not eating for a couple of days," Zoro said to Law, who frowned. "This really puts us out."

"Well, _shit_."

Nami reappeared, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Go check the box. Your stowaway took cover in there."

"I'm going to kill him for wasting my chicken gravy," Zoro muttered, withdrawing a sword.

"Zoro's serious about his gravy," Nami told Law, walking with him. "Look, don't kill the stowaway until I can look in the history of that box. Whoever mailed him needs my further investigation. I want to know if he's valuable, if he's wanted, if he's dangerous, if he's going to bring us more money."

"Right."

When they reached the cargo space, Zoro had the lid pushed aside, hissing. There was another growl from within, and before Zoro could do anything more, he received a bare foot to the face. The crunch of his teeth slamming together caused Nami to snicker, Law alarmed as he withdrew his sword. Then the person was out and away from the box, and both of them could see the old man shifting quickly away, Zoro advancing with a hand to his jaw.

His long hair was a matted mess; all of it was a dirty brown. It clung to his beard in some places, and his skin was so dirty that they couldn't tell what he looked like. With his hunched appearance and the stiff way he moved, the crinkles around his eyes, they all assumed he was an old man. His clothes were pieced together to cover himself from neck to ankle, to wrist, and made out of the same material as his cape.

"Hold on there, geezer, there's nowhere to run," Nami said, moving to stand in his path. The man looked at her, baring his teeth, emitting a rumbling growl that made Law think of a rat. He wasn't an animal that they could identify, but his wild hair and beard obscured most of his features. He moved in a hunched manner, hands together in such a way that Law thought that they were shackled. The clothes the old man wore were in the same condition as the cape; dirty, so foul so Law's eyes watered from his proximity. When the man's feet shifted over the metal panels of the cargo bay, Law could see the length of his toenails curling over his toes.

The low growling sound came from him, and Zoro took to the rear to trap him in between Nami and Law, and himself. The man crouched up against a nearby row of metal crates – other supplies and deliveries that they had to drop off later – and hissed, hands up in front of him, similar to a rat.

"Is he a rat man?" Nami asked curiously, venturing over, looking for a tail or other identifying features. He looked at her, his growling intensifying. When she reached out to urge him to move, he clawed at her, shifting low to kick. Then looked confused as his hand passed right through her, her image fizzing for a bit. When he made to bite the hand that reached for him, he made the same confused face, faltering. "No, he's not…I think he's just feral."

"Someone is shipping _feral_ humans?" Zoro asked, lowering his sword, looking bewildered as their stowaway continued to growl and hiss. It made his tail swish in reaction. He couldn't help but growl back, and he heard Law's own growl come over Nami's answer. Both of their instinctive actions were to growl low, ears flattened back, tails swishing in reaction. The man kept them both in his sight, hunched low to the ground and pressed up against the crate, ready to fight either of them if they came close to him.

"He's got normal human eyes," Law said, stepping close and causing the man to look at him in alarm, then back at Zoro just to make sure the other catman didn't use that moment to step closer. "I don't think he's part animal."

"Could you guys stop all your noises so I can concentrate? Both of you sound like alley cats ready to attack," she asked, looking at something beyond them, hand flicking out to push out screens in front of her. The blue displays displayed packaging slips, history and destination of the box. "He started out from a post near Germa."

Law cringed at the name, and Zoro flinched. Even Nami winced.

"Anything with Germa stamps makes me nauseous," Law confessed.

"No one likes them, but this post has the stamp. Not directly from the kingdom, but from…a trash barge. The barge orbits the kingdom, picking up whatever it tosses out." Nami looked at the man with disgust, watching as he scratched red spotted skin, no doubt bitten by some sort of mite. He looked at her once he sensed her attention, his nose wrinkling. She reached over to prompt him to stand, and he snapped at her. One of the catmen spit and hissed as he moved up onto the crate, scrambling on top of it, looking for an escape route away from them. Nami almost thought it was funny, how two catmen could crowd a possible rodent the way they were, snarling and spitting, the man snarling back.

"So why would someone mail a _rodent_ , a feral human being, from a trash barge?" Zoro asked, curious as his ears started to lift with interest.

"He's not a half of anything," Nami pointed out, reaching towards him once more. "He doesn't have fur. Say something, guy."

The old man snapped his teeth at her fingers, then pressed up against the wall as Law ventured closer. Zoro climbed atop one of the crates nearest him, and he hissed at him, causing Zoro to hiss back, teeth bared.

"Law, we have some plastic ties in that compartment over there," Nami said, pointing. "Get them. We'll have to restrain him if he's not going to be friendly."

Law holstered his sword, then walked off to follow her order, Zoro advancing on the man, both of them growling and hissing at each other. Nami watched with interest, looking for a tail, for rodent ears. The stowaway was behaving like a rat, hunching and hissing, moving lightly on feet that looked as if they'd been wrapped with dirty material to form socks. When Zoro grew near, the man stopped moving and tensed, and Zoro tensed as well, sword in front of him.

"Don't kill him, I need to figure this out," Nami ordered, hands on hips. There was a slight flash of blue as Law formed one of his Rooms, and the rat man noticed it, whipping his head to look over at the catman. At that moment, Zoro used his sword's scabbard to poke him into moving, and the rat man snapped at it. He moved to jump away from the crate, but Nami waved her arms about, yelling wordlessly to keep him from leaving Law's Room, and then Law Switched the men.

Nami tried not to laugh as Zoro realized he was now in the body of the rat man, and the rat man looked liked he was having a heart attack as he looked at himself. He jerked back, dropping Zoro's sword, and stumbled off the crates. He clearly didn't know how to adjust to this startling change, and he reacted with such horror and shock, that the sounds leaving him were more cat than human words. He lifted his feet with clumsy action, unsure of how to use them.

" _Hey_!" Zoro yelped, but the sound emerged as a harsh snarl, and he rose up from the crate with indignant action. The man in his body hit the floor, gasping, looking at himself. He suddenly took off on all fours, yowling, tripping over his tail, and Nami watched him with pity as Law used that moment to gesture for Zoro to climb down.

"Sorry. It's the easiest way I can think of to do this humanely," Law said with a shrug, Zoro growling at him with a tongue that didn't move the way he wanted it to. Nami turned, watching with pity as the man in Zoro's borrowed body stumbled about, crying over the shock. His catlike yowls and voice emerged only as noises – not words. She listened hard, trying to discern the sounds as a language, and recorded it, to match it with a possible language she could set their translator to.

Zoro held his wrists up and let Law tie them together. Nami gestured at him to follow, and the three headed towards the living space, where Nami released a latch in the wall to reveal an extra jumpseat. Grumbling, Zoro sat, and Law locked him into the seat, making sure he was comfortable. Then switched the men back into their original bodies.

Once the man realized he was restrained, he seemed to give up immediately. He sat stiffly, looking at them with resignation. It was quite pitiful to see this happen so suddenly after the fit from earlier. He seemed to look at them with defeated acceptance, slumping low as he waited for fate to take its course. Zoro caught up with them moments later, cradling his tail with a hurt expression.

Nami placed a hand to her chest, giving a wounded look. "I feel like we just did something utterly terrible."

"I feel bad," Law said, frowning.

"He probably does this all the time to saps like you two," Zoro scoffed, ears twitching. "Listen up, scum. You can't be stowing away like this. You feral, or what?"

"If he's feral, he's not going to understand you," Nami said impatiently.

"…Oh yeah."

"Then how do we communicate with him?"

"What is your name?" Nami asked, causing Law to look at her with question, because she had just told Zoro that this man could not communicate with them. But he wasn't going to point that out. She crouched low so that the man could look down at her, perceive her as a non-threat. But it seemed he'd checked out of the situation, looking blankly at her before looking at the other two, waiting.

"I'm going to repeat the question in all 800 dialects surrounding Germa, starting with their language, first," she said, standing. Moments later, her voice filtered through the speakers throughout the ship's intercom system, and it ran through various languages, the man giving no indication that he was listening.

She turned to the catmen, noting Law's sympathetic expression and Zoro's suspicious frown. "After checking on the history, it appears that it was bought and paid for by someone on the trash barge. They intended on mailing him to East Blue to a junkyard that went out of business nearly two years ago. Why they're sending him there brings me to suspect that there's something nefarious happening. It's not a secret that people do experiments on these types of people, people who won't be missed. It's not that uncommon for feral human beings to be used for such things."

"So, we treat continue to treat him as a package? Just lock him up and reseal the thing until we get there?"

"I suppose," Nami said cautiously. "I mean, the orders were not to open it. But…after looking in there, how is he supposed to survive? The lid wasn't fitted right to begin with, and he's been getting out just fine to feed. Which makes me think the sender knew exactly what they were doing."

"Can we contact the people that it's – _he's_ being sent to, just to notify them what's happened?" Law asked, crouching, waving a hand in front of the man's eyes. The resignation in those features, quiet acceptance of fate, made him feel guilty. Zoro uncrossed his arms to slap his hand, causing him to snarl.

"Don't be feeling anything for the package," Zoro warned. "It could be your downfall later on."

"Feeling sympathy for another human being? That's a downfall?"

"It is in this line of work!" Nami said sternly. "It's just how it is. We weren't meant to open this up. However he got out, well…occupational hazard. We must be careful with this. We don't want the wrong attention from people that might be involved in this. We're simple transporters, we're not heroes or anything."

"Then what do we do with him?"

"I'm going to return to the office, look for some answers. As it is, I'm not getting any sort of facial recognition from him, and he doesn't have any identifying chips of any kind on him," Nami said, frowning at the man. She flicked her bangs from her face. "Law. Clean him."

Law's fur stood straight up. "He _stinks_!"

Zoro's teeth were bared as his mouth dropped open with dismay. "You want us to _touch_ him? But if we get bit, we might _die_!"

"The only reason why I'm not getting any recognition from him is because of that hair! Do your best, boys. Do that thingy you do, Law, it seems useful. Meanwhile, I suggest you do something about that Water Mite before it gets to the fresh water supply! For fuck's sake, do you want to live, or what?" she asked impatiently, before disappearing. Merry announced that she'd taken over control of the ship, and both Law and Zoro stared at the man with thought.

: :

Law let Zoro tie him to the other jumpseat next to the man. As soon as he was properly restrained in the chair, Law switched himself with the man, exchanging bodies with a flick of his hand. The man didn't move this time, unblinking as he was once again settled in another's body.

Law stood up, the unfamiliar sensation of a stranger's body causing disorientation, vertigo, as he adjusted to the unfamiliar weight, feel and height of this man. Zoro watched him cautiously, tail flicking to the side, and Law felt odd looking up at the man when he was the tallest one between them. His face felt extremely heavy, his vision off, and his skin crawled with dryness, scalp itchy. The light really bothered him, and he held up a hand to shield his eyes. He noticed that the limb was stiff, all his joints painfully stiff.

"I feel like I have about twenty years' worth of dirt on me," he tried to say, but his new tongue was heavy, dry, and the words made were so difficult to form that he furrowed his brow with thoughtful action. "Either he has not spoken in years, or his language does not require much tongue movement."

Zoro gave him a serious frown. "Sounds he didn't have too many girlfriends."

Law gave Zoro an impatient look. "Why even…?"

"I'm just saying."

" _Useless_." Law looked down at his new body, then made to straighten up, wincing at the feel of something hard and knotted in his back. "There's injury, here. It keeps me from straightening to full height. Maybe I can fix it."

"We're not putting full dedication into this person."

Law made a look of disappointment. "Right."

Zoro supposed it came with being a doctor that Law wanted to fix everyone in his path. But he wasn't going to feel any way about it. "Go take a shower, and go shave. Tell me what to look for once you've stripped down, we'll give him some of our clothes. We'll burn that stuff he has in the incinerator."

"I don't even want to touch anything, right now. This is such a weird sensation. I feel like I'm violating another person."

"And yet you willingly switched me with him earlier."

With a reluctant mutter, Law then shuffled off to the bathroom, using the wall as support. Zoro looked back at the man in Law's body, frowning at the sight of his resigned expression.

Nami's voice was still running through various languages, and he'd yet responded to any of them. So he gave the voice command to turn it off, and switched on some M.I.A. At the electronic voice that filtered through the open spaces, the man's eyes flickered slightly. Zoro walked away from him, disappearing into the cockpit then returning with a bottle.

"This is Jim Beam. Want a swallow?" he asked, waving it around. "Seeing as you're old and ready to die, anyway, you might as well as have some. Make your passing easier."

He opened up the bottle and took a swallow before pouring it into the cap, lifting it to Law's lips. The man just watched him, unmoving, as Zoro tilted it into his mouth, then stopped as liquid spilled over Law's shirt and chest.

"Oops." Zoro reached out and smudged the liquid away from his chin and lips with an awkward swipe of his hand. "Well, happy accidents happen. Not that you're happy, but maybe he'll suck that out, later. Look, we're not really a threat to you, okay? We're just two guys bossed around by this A.I. that thinks she knows more than we do. We're ordinary catmen, we're not that special. So if you can help us out by telling us who you are, and what you're doing in that box, it'd be really helpful."

The man said nothing, barely blinking as he stared at him. Law's ears and tail remained stiff, unmoving. It was like looking at a wax statue.

Zoro stared at him for a few moments, taking the last of the liquor before smacking his lips. M.I.A.'s electronic ode to tequila continued on in the background. His tail twitched, and the man continued to watch him. Zoro had a feeling he was waiting for something, accepting that it was going to happen. It made him feel uncomfortable.

He capped the bottle, chewing on the longest nail he had as he considered the man in Law's body. Then he shrugged as he made his way to the kitchen, to clean up the mess in there.

"I think I clogged up the shower drain," he heard the unfamiliar voice say from the nearby corridor. At least, that's what Zoro thought he heard. He looked over to see a young blond man with near waist-length hair making his way up the ramp, wearing only a towel around his hips. He sputtered out the swallow he'd been about to take, Law pausing in front of him.

"Jesus Christ!"

"Right? He's definitely your age. This hair needs to go, though," Law said, picking at the matted ends with long, grimy fingernails. "I need you to cut it."

"I'm not touching it." Zoro looked at him with curiosity, tail up. "I feel like I've seen that face, before."

"Me, too, but I can't place where. His teeth are in bad condition. I think if we load him up in the regenerator chamber, he'd be fine – "

"We're not keeping him. We're sending him off to the East Blue."

"…Right. Well. As I was saying, his teeth are in deplorable condition. He's missing most of his back molars. And not but rot, but…by acid. See? How they're ground down to near nubs? It's more characteristic in bulimics. People who willingly puke up their meals."

"But maybe from chewing on un-reheated food?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms as he examined the skinny body before him. Law walked hunched, shoulders curled forward. There were rotted marks around both wrists, which suggested injury of some sort. Bones protruded against skin so fiercely that it seemed like the skeleton was trying to wrest its way out. There were sores and open lesions on his legs, forearms, and over his sunken chest. He looked as if he hadn't slept in years – eyes so dark and hollow that the blue of his eyes stood out. They were unusual eyes – near neon blue, with a ring of white around the iris. His eyebrows ended in spirals – it was _that_ that made Zoro feel he'd seen this man somewhere.

"Ugh, go put him away," he then complained.

"Mah," they heard, looking over to seeing the man looking at his own body with intense fascination. " _Mah_."

"He probably hasn't seen himself clean in _centuries_ ," Zoro said, as Law walked over to him. The man's eyes were rounded, ears back, tail twitching, and Law felt it was weird looking at himself react, but the man inside of him looked at himself with such intense fascination that it was almost as if he were seeing something magical. He made to reach out to touch, but his hands caught in the restraints, and he sat back in the seat, saying nothing more as his eyes coursed over his body.

Then he smiled at Law and Zoro, saying, " _Mah_! Mah! Mah!"

"Either he's saying 'me', or 'wow, I'm a looker' in his language," Zoro mused, rubbing his chin as Law straightened up to look at him from the side of his eye.

" 'I'm a looker'?" he repeated vaguely.

"I'm just…saying. No homo."

"'No homo'," Law repeated carefully, uncertain of how to use it, but definitely planning on use it later.

"Look, cut the shit, you have to admit. He's got…features."

"'Features'."

"Stop repeating everything I say!"

"It's just something I'm not certain about. You've never had a reaction to any other man before."

"Look, here's the situation, doc. We captured this _literally_ dirty old man that made us want to vomit chunks at the smell of him – "

"Mah! _Mah_!"

" – yeah, _yeah_ , quiet down over there. Then we clean him up, and he's like Legolas from Lord of the Rings."

Law studied him for a few moments, then crossed his arms demurely over himself, causing Zoro to redden. Law then made to duck the punch aimed at his face, only he didn't move as fast as he was used to, and caught the end of Zoro's knuckles on his shoulder. He started to laugh at Zoro's reaction, but the man in his body screamed, and caused Zoro's fur to stand on end. They both looked over to see him staring at them with utter distress, emitting noises that could have been words, but only left him as tortured sounds.

"Sorry, buddy," Zoro said to him, then looked at Law. "Go get dressed. Cut that hair. I'll let Nami know we can see him, now."

"Look how distressed he is," Law then commented, walking over to him, then sniffing him closely. He looked at Zoro with a scowl. "Were you feeding him alcohol?"

"Just a little bit."

"You jerk off! I don't drink!"

"Maybe you should!"

"I happen to like my liver, thank you." Law looked back at himself, seeing that the man inside of it was looking at himself with captivation, as if surprised by his own visage. He uttered a few noises of fascination. "It's like he hasn't seen himself, before."

"Maybe he hasn't, after all that grime and hair latched on," Zoro commented, walking over. M.I.A. switched to America, Law wincing at the change of tequila to a horse with no name.

"Maybe Nami's right, and he was just a feral being," Law said. "I'm going to find some clothes, then trim this hair. No alcohol, please."

"Sir, yes sir," Zoro said as Law walked back to the bathroom, where their clothes were piled in separate lockers. He pulled out the bottle once more, noting how happy the man was in Law's body. He looked at Zoro with cheer, as if confirming with him how amazing it was seeing his original form. "Yes, yes, you're a passable human being. Let's not brag about it. Say something intelligent, or something. What's your name?"

The man continued to utter guttural noises, forced hums – it was almost he had no idea how to use his tongue to speak. Zoro drank a little more, wondering if the man was mentally disabled. Which made him feel sympathy, because the thought of someone mailing him from one destination to another for something inhumane made him feel gloomy.

: :

Nami returned as Law was clipping off the man's long toenails, having switched their bodies back. Once she saw the clean face looking at her caution, she released a whistle of approval. His hair had been cut raggedly at his shoulders, as if one of the men had just held the long mass up in a ponytail and swiped it through with a sword, calling it 'good'. He was wearing one of Zoro's black shirts and Law's pants, and, while the plastic ties had been reapplied, there were bandages at his wrists.

" _Nice_!" she exclaimed, her face registering awe. "Look at you! Aren't you a cutie?"

He gave her an uncertain smile, responding only to her positive exclamation.

Then she straightened up, her face shifting into a startled mask. She reached out, showing a series of pictures that came up once she entered his facial features into her database. Zoro swallowed the last of his alcohol once he saw the faces that popped up, and Law craned his head to look as well, pausing in mid-clip.

Nami studied the faces that looked grimly back at them, in mid-motion from her own database.

"Guys? He's pulling a positive for a _Vinsmoke_. But…but his face is none of these," she said slowly, her tone heavy. Then her eyes widened, and she drew open another display, where a bubbly faced child looked back at them. The headlines around it screamed of a death in the Vinsmoke family, where one of the four boys in line for the throne had been declared dead at age eight. With a few prompts, the facial features of the boy stretched and pulled into the current features of the man sitting in the jumpseat.

"He's a _prince_?" Zoro exclaimed with horror. "He's one of those guys?"

"But _that_ says he's supposed to be dead," Law said with confusion, reading the nearest display.

"Eight year old Sanji Vinsmoke was declared dead in Germa's Red Sea after an explosion in the cruise ship he was on occurred because of a kitchen accident," Nami said slowly, shifting through the pictures. "They couldn't find his body. Their Red Sea is infamous for those ugly sharks. They assumed one of them got to the wreckage, first. If this is him, then…"

Law looked at the man in question, who stared at the pictures of his supposed siblings. He was stark white, quiet, and he suspected that there was more to the story than Nami was giving. "It doesn't look like he's happy about it."

Nami looked over and noticed his reaction as well. Hands on her ample hips, she frowned, tilting her head. In Germa's language, she said, "Is this your family?"

He looked at her, then back at the pictures. He didn't say anything but stare, looking at each face with careful consideration. Nami reached up and then pulled individually on their pictures, displaying them as the age they were when Sanji Vinsmoke had disappeared. Upon seeing them, he seemed to cringe upon himself, looking away hastily.

"I _think_ that's a bad thing," Nami said slowly, crossing her arms over her chest.


	3. The Old Man

**A/N: I should be updating 'The Hunter' pretty soon. This is my last chapter of this story for now. Ugh, it got me in a pretty tight calf lock, I can't seem to escape it. (I won't tap out, either)**

 **Glasses: I'll just take reviews, instead. :D**

 **Alasse-m: Don't get too happy (or sad) because it's still in early stages. Plenty of time to do worse (or better). Hopefully this chapter explains a little more why Nami was confused. And Law's not talking too much of his past, so we've yet to find out why he's a little softie in this story (Zoro's working on it, though) And a bath can't fix this guy – if things go well, they have ways of assisting, but it's time that matters. D: This story is still young – it has all the potential to grow!**

 **3: The Old Man**

"I feel like we did something wrong," Nami murmured, watching as Zoro pulled out a couple of meal bags. She then examined the display of the Vinsmokes in front of her, her orange form moving with agitation. Nervously, she tapped her fingernails against her teeth, studying the hologram of the full grown man that Prince Sanji Vinsmoke _should_ have looked like, compared to his siblings. All of them were tall, well over six feet, with matching features. Their oldest sister was tall and slim, short blond hair arranged in careful rows to accommodate a metal crown, fit for a princess. They all looked fitting to a kingdom that had grown in size based on terror and power – the whispers were that they were all genetically gifted, crafted from the womb to be perfect in every way.

But this man was emaciated, hunched, obviously mistreated. He examined the hologram with an expression that clearly said he didn't recognize any of them – it was only their child forms that he expressed emotion towards, which told Nami that the story about the accidental death might have just been a coverup. The questions that stemmed from that made her nervous. It made her feel as if they'd found something that wasn't supposed to be found.

His mental development and current state spoke of what could have happened, but without him being unable to say anything, none of them could guess any more details than that. Without a common language between them, none of them could say anything to him that he could recognize.

Law had released him from his binds, and he just sat there, hunched over, lightly scratching bug bites that made _her_ itch, even as she was only a projected form. He stared at his own holographic form with a forlorn expression, as if he were mourning what he could have been.

"Maybe we can use the regenerator to further assist with his ailments," Law said to Nami. "He has an old spinal injury I can repair. His potassium levels should be examined – without proper monitoring, he could suffer a heart attack, or a stroke if he's not getting enough nutrients."

"Hold off on that thought, I don't want to expend what resources we have on someone that's not going to stick around," Nami said with a frown.

"What did I say about getting attached?" Zoro asked impatiently.

"He has good advice, sometimes," Nami told Law. "I get that you were paid to do this sort of thing in your old life, but up here, it's different. You have to pick and choose your battles, okay? Besides, why don't you use that regenerator on yourself? Fix those scars?"

"It's a lost cause. I've tried."

Law was pushing his clothing into the incinerator, but he brought over to Sanji what looked to be a picture, an oxygen mask, keeping the dagger for himself. The man grew excited at being brought these things, taking the picture tenderly, holding it to his chest.

"Let me see that," Nami said, gesturing at him to show her. He recognized her actions, and, with some hesitation, showed her. She copied the image to a separate display as Zoro tossed in their dinner, drinking from another bottle he'd recovered from below the sink.

"Can you remove these guys from my presence? They're annoying me," he complained, walking through the projections, waving his arms about to disrupt the images.

"Why? Small man complex?" Nami asked him smartly.

"NO. Shit."

"What is that?" Law asked, sitting at the table with his claws lightly drumming the surface.

"Where a man smaller than most tends to react negatively to those bigger than him."

"Makes sense."

"I don't have a _complex_ ," Zoro said tightly, sitting on a chair that he released from the wall, propping his boots up on the table nearby. "Look, witch, what's the deal? Who's this, now?"

The older man that Nami had pulled from the picture was on view, and another holographic shape began to form next to it. She watched their guest watch with utter fascination, clinging to his photo, as a life-sized model of the man on the picture came into full view. His personal information listed up into chart form next to him, and Nami looked at it with more apprehension before.

"He worked for the Vinsmokes," Law said, having read most of it before Zoro could finish squinting over the first paragraph. Their guest reacted to it with joy, pointing at it, then his picture, then looking back at it again. He kept saying something over and over, but none of them could guess what he was saying. Nami looked at him, trying to figure out his language, but it was much too distorted.

"Zeff Redleg. He worked for the Vinsmokes very briefly, at the time Sanji Vinsmoke was supposedly killed," she said slowly. "He was released from duty two days before the accident. He works in East Blue. In fact, let me track him down. Maybe he might know more of this than we do."

"I feel like we stepped into shit we weren't supposed to," Zoro said, bottle at his lips. "If we have an actual Germa prince here in our ship, what the hell is he doing in a box, looking like he was dragged out of a trash heap?"

"Weren't you looking for excitement, earlier?" Law asked him, rubbing his forehead with his thumb. Sanji looked crawled in close to examine his hands. He looked at his claws, testing their sharpness on his fingertips, before crawling over to Zoro and looking at his. Then he looked at his own fingernails, comparing his hand size to theirs, seeing the difference. Distracted by the sight of his clean skin, he rubbed himself for a few moments, then compared his skin to theirs, minutely fascinated with Law's scars and tattoos. Both Law and Zoro looked uncomfortable, Nami noted, but both of them were used to someone crawling all over them, invading their personal space. Luffy did that a lot, the smaller dogman making both catmen growl as their boundaries were invaded.

"Maybe a scrap or two, but this sounds like some major political bullshit!" Zoro said, taking a short drink. He then growled in warning as Sanji petted the stripes of fur running from his neck to his shoulder, Sanji pulling away at the sight of bared teeth. "I don't want to get involved in some family squabble. Especially with those Imperials."

"They were at the warehouse that day, that man mentioned it," Nami stated, looking a little nervous. "I wonder if they were behind this."

"If they wanted a secret kept so bad, they would've killed him, not kept him. And certainly not mailed him across the universe for a junkyard."

"Maybe they don't know he's still alive," Law theorized. He snatched his tail back as Sanji found it, the man then looking at his ears, flicking the earrings before Law pulled his head away, baring his teeth in warning. Sanji turned that same sort of attention to Zoro, examining his earrings with fascination before Zoro growled and spit once more, using his shoulder to create space between them.

"Maybe they got wind of something that made them jittery enough to look."

Sanji sat between them with his hands tucked between his knees, before growing interested in the feel of the bench seats, running his hands over that, testing the cushiony feel before climbing to his knees and touching the wall, looking for more surprises that seemed to emerge from a touch. Zoro batted his hand down before he could find and release one of the beds that would angle over them, then pushed him roughly towards Law to divert his attention from the exploration. Sanji was once more enthralled by the sight of Law's ears, playing with his hair, looking for ears that looked like his before Law's tail twitched, and a small warning growl left him. Nami was getting amused by his childlike actions, by the catmens' growing irritation. They were surprisingly patient, which outwardly admitted their thoughts of the other man.

"Yeah, mailing out a box from a trash barge with a human being in it could be a little suspicious."

"Hold that thought," Nami said, orange finger up as she turned away from them, the form of Zeff fizzing for a moment before the figure turned into the actual image, the older man looking at her with disgust. "Hello, sir, my name is Nami. I'm the AI for this little company called 'One Piece' – we're a transporting service, we promise to deliver our packages to people in _one piece_ , unless otherwise specified."

"Oh. Hah. Great. What do you want? I didn't ask for anything from your people," the old man said, but his words were on a delay, which told the two men that his words were being translated by Nami's system. "Good lord, who designed you? They don't have things such as clothes in your part of the universe?"

"I chose to look this way because it makes me feel good about myself," she snapped back. "I am a beautiful woman, and I have yet to hear any complaints about it!"

"Clearly, she didn't want to hear _our_ opinion," Zoro muttered to Law, who nodded in agreement.

"Look, enough. This is a business call. We've come across a very unusual situation. In his possession, this young man here claims to know you. Do you know him?"

She expanded the viewing screen to include the sight of the three of them sitting on the wall, and before she could say anything more, Zeff's face paled considerably, his features registering severe shock. Their guest stood up with joy, showing him his picture that he held, uttering cheerful noises and smiling brightly. He kept gesturing at himself and the picture, then at Zeff, trying to speak. He clamored over the table and approached him, attempting to touch him before the image fizzed, and he looked confused. Then accepted the situation, standing in front of him with an excited expression.

Zeff reached out to support himself on something that fizzed into view, looking moments from fainting. Then he recovered, giving an awed sound before covering half of his face with one hand, saying, "How is this _possible_? How – how did you find – he was supposed to be _dead_!"

"It's a weird story. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?" Nami asked cautiously, seeing that his reaction was considerably positive, but he looked absolutely stunned by the man's very appearance. His hands reached out to their guest, but retracted once he realized he couldn't touch him, anyway.

"He looks so… _broken_. He should be bigger than this," he said softly, with a hard roughage to his voice. "He's shrunken and…"

He trailed off, finding it too hard to continue speaking. For a moment, Nami found her eyes glittering as the man's emotions spoke for him when his voice failed him. But the younger man looked at him with such delight that he couldn't help but smile back, the line struggling on his hard face.

"He didn't look like this, before," Zoro said, setting the bottle aside. "We cleaned him up. Once Nami started a little digging, he showed us your picture. He had it on him this entire time."

"I met this man when he was a little boy. His father…" Zeff trailed off, then looked at Nami with alarm. "Is this on a secure transmission?"

"Well, no, we're just a transporting service, we're not…there's no secrets with us."

Zeff stared at her in horror, then looked back at the man that smiled brightly at him. Then to Nami, he said, "Do not contact me again."

With that, he was out, and Nami looked at the others with puzzlement. Zoro shrugged, and Law scrunched his brow, Sanji looking at them with joy, holding onto the picture tight. He repeated his word a few more times, to which Nami finally realized he was using Germa language, using their word for 'old man'. The translation hit them all as he sat down on the jumpseat, looking at the picture with renewed cheer.

She then opened the secure channel that buzzed for her attention at her left, the screen opening to reveal a star map. Instead of seeing Zeff once more, his voice said firmly, "Bring him to this location, here. I will take him off your hands. As for your earlier transmissions, if you are snooping – they are listening. Anything regarding their kingdom, their prince, they will find you. Word of warning. He was supposed to be dead."

"So, this _is_ Sanji Vinsmoke. This is their lost prince – "

"He wasn't 'lost'. They wanted him dead. How was he found?"

"In a box, coming away from the trash barge."

"If they know he's alive, they will come for him. Whatever allowed him to make it this far, must be some type of fate. I cannot give you anymore than that, for your own safety. Maybe they'll let you go once they catch up, being that you were unaware of things, but nothing more should leave your ship regarding any type of search for him. They have eyes, far and wide."

Fearfully, Nami looked at Sanji, who smiled lightly at her, not understanding what was being said. He then saw that they were all looking at him with rising apprehension, and he started to feel the tension. So his expression turned grim, and he looked at the men cautiously, then back at her, swallowing tightly.

"The real question is, who found him and sent him this far into space with that over his head?" Law asked.

"I don't know. Whoever it was, must've felt pity. Bless them. I'll take him, no questions asked. Hurry here, and in return, you'll be given supplies to continue your trip to your previous destination, your travel log reset and erased to hide the extra trip off course."

"I don't feel comfortable with this," Nami confessed, nail to her teeth.

"You won't feel comfortable when they locate you and find that you have him on board. They'll think you orchestrated the entire thing. "

"Okay. _Okay_ , I'm changing Merry's course, and we should arrive at this outpost within two days," she said, the ship shuddering briefly, making Law sick at the thought of it dropping suddenly. It turned slightly, and then continued toward what looked to be a string of asteroids in the distance.

"I'll see you then," Zeff said, before adding in Germa's language, "Boy, be good. Do as they say."

After a few seconds, Sanji nodded, looking a little nostalgic at that moment. Then Zeff's transmission cut out, and Nami looked at the others with wide eyes.

"What did we get ourselves into?" she asked sharply.

: :

She was pacing anxiously in front of the table as the two men divvied up their food supply to feed Sanji. The man shoved his food into his mouth and chewed awkwardly, using his hands to feed himself. When he had most of it chewed and swallowed, he licked his hands and tray clean, Zoro looking at him with disgust. Law ended up pulling his tray to the side when Sanji looked at his, and Zoro growled low, ears flat when Sanji looked at his. With a heavy exhale, realizing that this was all they were going to have, he resettled in his seat.

Then, much to their revulsion, he made himself vomit back on the tray, Nami pausing with a horrified expression. He then scooped up the barely chewed chunks of food and put it into his pocket, looking no way about it. Reaching for the pitcher of water, he chugged most of that down before climbing over the table and leaving them.

"Did he _just_ …?"

"I can't eat," Zoro then announced, dropping his fork onto the tray.

"Explains his teeth," Law said with fascination, chewing slowly. "Wherever he was, this was how he expanded his food source. Without anyone around to tell him that this is inappropriate, of course he feels no shame or disgust in it. This might actually be the first time he's interacted with people in a very long time."

"He…he's uh…hiding his _food_ in the cargo bay," Nami reported, hand clasped over her mouth.

"No one's going to want that, you sick bastard!" Zoro bellowed. "Fuck. Hey! _C'mere_!"

"Yelling at him isn't going to do much, he just went to go hide."

"How much food do we have left?" Law asked curiously.

"Considering that you're going to be sharing with him, combined with the food he'd wasted earlier, you'll all starve for a couple of days before we reach our new destination."

"We'll save this portion for later, then," Law decided, looking down at his tray. "Stretch it out a bit."

"Fresh water?"

"That Water Mite is still crawling around the pipes! Maybe if you kill it, that's one more day's worth of food!"

"You can eat those?" Law asked tentatively. "Isn't it a watery form?"

"It's solid around the nucleus," Nami assured him. "I heard it tastes like beef liver."

" _Ugh_."

"Let's hear you say that on day two, with your stomach grumbling."

Zoro looked over once they saw Sanji reappear from the back corridor, peering in at them. He then went for the waste bin, both Nami and Law leaning away from the table to see what he was doing. He sat down in front of it and began picking out the food they'd tossed out earlier, sucking on the hard gravy and licking the spaghetti before stuffing those into his pockets.

"Get out of there! You don't need to do that, here!" Zoro hissed at him, rising from his seat and stomping over to the kitchen. Sanji hissed back, baring his teeth, growling once more like a rat. He held onto the waste bin, Zoro's fur standing up on end, hissing back.

"Well, isn't this entertaining?" Nami asked, leaning on the table as Zoro made to grab the bin, his fingers nearly bitten off in the process. To Law, she said, "Look, do what you guys can. I'm going to call ahead and try to find closer outposts for you guys to stop at to replenish your supplies, just in case."

"Thanks, that would be great," Law said, watching as Zoro pulled the waste bin from Sanji, giving him a bottle of amber colored liquid, instead. "Don't give him that, what's _wrong_ with you? You can't solve everything with alcohol!"

"If he drinks this, he won't realize he's hungry! That's why I do it!" Zoro stated, teeth bared in his direction as Sanji sniffed the drink cautiously, then tossed some down. "Besides, it's cinnamon flavored, it doesn't smell like alcohol."

"What a stupid theory!"

"You got anything better?"

"I'll go find his 'snack', throw it away," Law said wearily, folding up his tray as Nami looked over at the pair in the kitchen with concern. After stacking the tray into the refrigeration space next to the counterspace, he gave Zoro a frown as Sanji drank more of the alcohol, smacking his lips. He turned his head with a slight heave, setting the bottle down.

Then stood up, releasing the waste bin. He walked off, and Nami darted out of his way, looking after him cautiously. She looked back at Zoro with a frown. "If he dies of alcohol poisoning, I'm leaving you behind for the Germa Empire."

"He'll be _fine_ ," Zoro scoffed. "He probably forgot all about being hungry."

"I leave this to you," Nami said to Law, before disappearing, Merry reassured the crew that she was now in command.

"I feel someway about this entire thing," Zoro confessed, entering a code to lock the counterspace. "One, what a terrible idea to actually give in to cleaning him up so he's human, to us. Two, I'm blaming you for it. Three, I will drop anyone that comes at me for some lost prince. If they didn't want to lose him in the first place, why have him?"

"There's a lot to the story we've yet to learn," Law agreed. "And it was your fault for opening up the box in the first place."

"It was _your_ idea to - !"

"Look, the point is, what's done is done. All we have to do is deliver him to the place Zeff indicated, and that's the end of it. He'll have to deal with the repercussions, it has nothing more to do with us."

"True," Zoro grumbled, scratching his stomach. "It's not like we're obligated to do anything for him, right?"

"Right. It's just another tale for us to share when we return home," Law said, pouring himself more water. After taking a sip, he then made a face. "This tastes old."

"Can water taste 'old'?"

"We should find that Water Mite before it gets too late."

"In some way, I feel sorry for the guy," Zoro said, running the water, leaning against the sink. "I mean, when he looked at himself in hologram form, you can just see the wheels spinning in his head. Sort of like, _That's_ what I should have looked like. Instead of _this_."

"So you _do_ have feelings."

"I never said I didn't! I just choose not to get attached to anyone that I'm not working with, because there's no point to it. It's just a sad situation, and it has nothing to do with us."

"No."

Zoro's tail flicked, and his ears twitched. He then made a face. "Where'd he go?"

"I'll go look. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to track this little bugger down. Hey, turn on the radio, huh?"

Law walked into the cockpit to do so, cringing at the sound of Al Green crooning about 'Love and Happiness'. He went in search of Sanji, and found the man sitting in the cargo bay, looking unsteady. He patted his shoulder for attention, indicating that he follow him, and the man just sat there, looking at him, obviously affected by the alcohol. With an annoyed flick of his tail, Law helped him to his feet, and then helped him back to the living space. He pulled down a cot, to which Sanji looked at it with such awe that he touched it with hands that didn't quite land right.

He looked at him, and then touched his chest, indicating the bed. Law nodded, gesturing at him to lay down. After a few moments of looking at him incredulously, Sanji did so carefully. He sat cautiously at the edge, touching the fresh sheets, the thin narrow cot being treated as a thing of value. He then looked at Law again, confirming that it was okay for him to be here. When Law gestured at him to lay down, Sanji looked at him with utter delight.

It made Law feel a little bad, considering how he and Zoro were complaining about it hours earlier, where the cots were too hard and thin, the twin sized beds were so narrow that there was the threat of them falling off. The beds extended out from the wall in bunk bed formation, and there were four of them in all. His was the top bunk to the right, and Zoro had taken the one on the left, preferring the bottom bunk.

Cautiously, Sanji laid back, eyes wide. Then he curled up in a fetal position, rolling to the side. That position couldn't be too comfortable, Law thought, looking at him with a frown, tugging the blankets out from underneath him to pull over him. Sanji just lifted his head and smiled so cheerily that he took the task over and pulled the blankets up high, snuggling deep into them.

"He's making that thing look like a damn four poster California King," Zoro grumbled. "Making me tired."

"It is almost bedtime."

"I didn't even get to take my afternooner."

"You take too many naps. How can you even be a functional being?"

"Says the guy that naps every quarter!"

"Guess it's just in our blood," Law figured, pushing away from the cot. Tail snapping, he saw that Sanji was out in moments, breathing deeply. He figured the alcohol helped with this, and went to clean up the table, sweeping up the crumbs left behind before pushing the table back into the wall, resetting the chairs so that there was only room for the beds.

"Admittedly, it got a little interesting," Zoro then said, shutting the water off. Both of them could hear heavy movement in the pipes above them, and their heads followed it as it left that area and shifted towards the left, away from the kitchen. "This kid."

"Nami took his vitals. According them, he's actually a little older than you."

" _Bullshit_." For a few moments, Zoro looked down at the waste bin. "I can't imagine being so hungry that to survive, you'd actually eat what was already chewed."

"It's actually a little common in abuse cases, where children are given occasional food. In their reasoning, it's still food for later."

"Did you see the way he looked at that old man? Like he was just…and the old man had the same feeling. Like he was seeing his own kid."

Law looked at him suspiciously, then elbowed him. "You getting feelings, fellow transporter?"

"NO!"

"No homo?"

Zoro rolled his eyes impatiently, looking at him. "You're not even using it in the right context."

"Sor _ry_ ," Law said, waving his hands as he left the kitchen, Zoro following. "So, why three swords?"

"Because nobody else uses three swords."

"…Seriously?"

"For reals, have you seen anybody else using three swords?"

"As all I've done in life was attend university and earn my living as a surgeon, I can honestly say that, no, I have not seen anybody use three swords, before."

"You need to get out more," Zoro said in concern. "Why did Nami hire you in the first place?"

"I don't know. Every time I'm tempted to ask, she seems to change the subject. But why hire any of you, at all? What's your background?"

"I was a pirate hunter."

"Exciting."

"It was. Then I ran into that dog, and he sort of convinced me to join his workforce."

Law studied him for a few moments, as he pulled out his bunk from the wall, rearranging his blankets and pillow. "Was it really that simple?"

"No. There were some chase scenes, and a explosion, and quite possibly a standoff, but I might've been too drunk to really remember all the details. I was a real alcoholic back then."

Law thought of all the bottles stashed in the kitchen, the cockpit, the bathroom lockers. "Right."

"What's this thing with you and Bepo?"

"I don't know. He just took a liking to me."

"Albinos are so weird," Zoro said, ears twitching. "Merry, _lights_!"

Once all the lights lowered in the ship, the power down audible, allowing only the sound of space in through the crackling intercom, Zoro went on with, "So, what's the deal with you and the mention of Imperials?"

"No particular reason."

"You never did mention how you grew up."

"It was…a little unusual. Another time, perhaps."

"Okay, then. Mine was pretty simple. I grew up in a dojo. Trained every day. Continued to do so."

"I see there are weights in the cargo bay."

"Man, you should see me lift! I'm pretty strong, actually."

"No homo, right?"

"Oh, right, no homo. It's just impressive that I can lift so much."

"You're a real manly one, aren't you?"

"And you're a smarty snob, so what?"

"What makes me a 'snob'?" Law asked in outrage, climbing up to his bed, ears flattened. "I don't consider myself a snob!"

"Your pinky does this thing where it lifts when you drink stuff."

"It does not!"

"And you yowl every time you lie."

"I don't yowl!"

"Look, cat, if we're going to get along, then we need to be on equal grounds," Zoro said, kicking off his boots, adjusting his pillow. "I just think we should be truthful about stuff if we're going to continue working together."

"I'm pretty truthful," Law assured him, hands folding over his stomach, pressing his head against the pillow a few times until he was comfortable.

"I just think you're holding back."

"I'm just holding back on the fact that I'm not that skilled of a swordsman, and I rely mainly on my Rooms to do my battles for me. How's that?"

"Look, as long as we know where we stand. Because if anything else happens with this Germa business, I need to know I can rely on you," Zoro then said.

"…It's starting to bother you, eh?"

"I hate to admit it, but I didn't get a good feeling about it."

"I'm sure nothing will happen," Law assured him, closing his eyes. "I'm sure after we drop off the package, that'll be the end of it."

"Yeah, I'll go off that confidence of yours, but if it doesn't happen, I'm going to knock your teeth out."

"If you can catch me. I can teleport, you know."

"I always catch my man. No homo."

"No homo."


	4. Brother

**A/N: I ended up cutting this chapter in half, so the next part will be uploaded soon.**

 **Saemoon: Zoro changes his mind a lot, haha! He's an open book, sometimes.**

 **Guest#1: Um…good?**

 **Guest 2: Yes : )**

 **Panda Blackwhite: Ah! thanks! I'm glad you're able to feel things about my fics! It's still new and you know how i do ;)**

 **4: Brother**

When Merry gently let them know that their eight hours were up, Law got up first. Both he and Zoro were difficult risers, but he was concerned about their guest. Looking over his bunk, he realized he was missing. Yawning, Law went in search for him, and found him lying on the floor in the back, between a couple of crates that were pinned to the wall. He'd taken a blanket with him at least, and Law left him there while he sniffed out the 'snack' Sanji had hidden hours earlier. Once he found it, he used the end of his shirt to handle it, then scurried to the waste bin. He separated burn material from the bin and threw it all into the incinerator. Then rattled all the kitchen cupboards and such, making as much noise as possible to wake the other two up.

Zoro complained as he stood up from his bunk, yawning and stretching mightily, filling the ship with as big of a yell as he could before resetting his bed back into the wall, pulling out the table and chairs. Then flopped into a chair to rest his head over the table.

"Fine effort made, sir," Law commented lightly. He reheated the rest of their dinner from last night, then heated up one of his meals to divvy up for the three of them. Nami had left the translator on, so when Law spoke to Sanji, his words were reset into the Germa language. Sanji seemed to perk up once he processed the morning greeting and indication for breakfast, the language slowly coming back to him.

Law shooed Sanji to the table, the man looking in the waste bin before seeing that there was actual food ready for all of them. Like an animal crying to be fed, Sanji circled around him, his hands patting Law's arms and chest in excitement. Law ended up growling and hissing to have Sanji back off, the man hurriedly taking his seat next to Zoro, wiggling with joy as Law set their trays on the table.

"Hot! _Hot_!" he warned, blowing on his food to indicate that Sanji should do the same. The man did so before scooping up a handful, dropping it with a cry, then blowing on it again with an embarrassed look.

Zoro lifted his head from the table to see that they were awake. Law sipped at his coffee, and watched as Zoro shuffled into the kitchen for something to drink, returning to the table with a small bottle of clear liquid, and a pitcher of cold water, a cup in hand.

"It's eight in the morning," Law pointed out.

"It's never too early or late in space," Zoro said, pouring Sanji some water before swigging back a swallow of his bottle. He ended up hissing at Sanji for venturing close to his food tray. Sanji looked at Law's, but he held his tray tight, coffee in one hand, teeth showing briefly.

He made to repeat his actions of last night, but Zoro grabbed his hand firmly, shaking his head. "NO. _Bad_. Time out for you."

Sanji looked at him with upset, before growling. Zoro growled back. "You don't have to do all that," Zoro then said impatiently. "There is enough for all of us here. There is _enough_. Got that?"

As the translator ran his words, Sanji seemed to understand. He looked confused, sitting back in his chair, then proceeded to start scratching his arms, looking anxiously at their trays.

"I can't eat like this," Zoro said, flicking parts of his sausage gravy over mashed potatoes at Sanji, who ate it quickly. "You ever had a pet, Law?"

"No. It was always on my Christmas list, though."

"I had a dog, once. And it would sit and stare at me the entire time I ate. This is _exactly_ what it felt like."

"We have to show him how to take his time," Law said, finishing his coffee, scooping up part of his potatoes and dumping it onto Sanji's tray. The man finished that quickly, licking it clean, then wiping his fingers over the trail Zoro had created flicking his food at him.

Zoro laughed. "Can you imagine? This guy learning manners from us?"

"At least it won't be from Luffy."

"Yeah. _Ugh_. Sit still, goddamn it. Here. Drink some water. I'm going to check on our course."

As he left his seat, Sanji saw that he'd abandoned his food.

"That's not yours. He's not done, and he's hungry," Law said with warning, Sanji hesitating as he looked at him.

Sanji stared at him for a few beats, then sat back in his chair. He uttered a few noises, then repeated himself with a look of concentration.

Once Law heard "But I'm still _hungry_!" come over the system, he looked at him with a cheered expression.

"You're remembering your language, aren't you?" he commented.

"Remembering," Sanji stressed out carefully, thinking about the word, then nodding again.

"Is he talking?" Zoro asked with cheer of his own. "Is that him talking?"

"Yes, it seems so," Law said over Sanji's excited chirp. "Keep doing so, Sanji. The more you can, the more you'll remember, I'm sure."

"Yes, now, repeat after me," Zoro said, leaning over with a serious expression, Sanji watching him, nodding to show that he understood. "I…"

"…I…"

"Am…"

"…am…"

"An asshole."

"An – "

"What's _wrong_ with you?" Law cried, hitting the table with a fist.

"I just want him to never forget who he is."

" _Shit_."

Sanji paused in his efforts, listening to the exchange with concentration. Then he frowned at Zoro, seemingly reconsidering his position as a potential friend.

"Look, this is how it is, kid," Zoro said firmly. "I'm not getting attached to you. We drop you off with Zeff – "

"Old man, _Zeff_!"

"Right, right, yes, he's old. Anyway, we drop you off, and that's it for us. Is that clear? I will not be writing or checking up on you. This is it."

"This is _it_."

"Yes. This is it."

" _Right_ ," Sanji said slowly, nodding his head.

"So, describe to us, what have you been doing all these years?" Law asked, ears tilting with curiosity, Zoro pulling his own tail up to smooth through the fur, grooming at the table. Sanji watched with fascination as the man combed through the ratted fur at the end, cleaning away debris with his fingers.

"This is _private_!" Zoro then snapped at him, lowering his tail.

With an expression of concentration, Sanji stared at the table surface, processing Law's earlier request. "Mmm. Dark. _Room_. No…in. No out."

"You were…in a dark room with no way in, no way out?"

Sanji licked his lips, processing this for a moment, then nodded. He scratched at his neck, fiddled with his ear briefly before adding, "For…father, he…he wanted me to stay. _There_. Not…and no one else came. Then, Niji said no one likes me. So…father said I can't go out."

"So, your father put you in a dark room without escape because your brother said that no one 'likes' you? Maybe they were playing a mean prank on you, and…it was an accident that no one….could find you," Law theorized, Sanji looking at him intently as the translation told him what Law was saying.

Then he looked thoughtful for a few moments before saying, "Mm. No. Father said. He _said_ because I…wasn't on best behavior? Because I…couldn't keep up. So. He put me away."

"If this turns out to be a tale of some dude hiding his kid away because he's an actual retard, I'm going to drink a little more," Zoro warned Law. "I'll probably get drunk."

Law winced as Sanji looked at him with some confusion. Then looked at Law, repeating, " 'Retard'?"

"Stop _talking_ if you're just going to say shitty things," Law snapped at Zoro.

"What? I mean, look at him! He's not exactly 'on par', you know what I mean?"

"If I'm understanding this right, _supposedly_ , his father locked him away in a cell of some type because he wasn't 'like his siblings'. That could mean anything. If he had supposedly died at eight years old, then he's spent the last eleven years locked in a room with only himself – possibly rats, as well, which explains his behavior," Law then added. "Of course, he's going to sound a little incapacitated. I think though, the more interaction he has with us, with others, he'll catch up just fine."

"Father, he…told me if I stopped…behaving like mother, then I could…leave, but I tried to be like them, but. He wasn't happy."

"I'm drinking the rest of this," Zoro muttered, looking at his bottle.

"Sometimes, he would come. To see if I were 'better'. But he changed his mind. When my legs grew like _this_ , he stopped coming," Sanji said, gesturing at his leg, and neither Zoro or Law knew how to interpret that. Scratching his jaw idly, Sanji added, "I tried not to grow anymore, but nothing would listen. So. Even Niji stopped throwing things. And then, it was dark. So Zeff told me to come if. I were…older. When my hands looked like this, I knew that I was _older_."

Zoro sucked down the last of his liquor, Law looking at Sanji with dismay.

"I don't think he meant that _literally_ ," Law said slowly, feeling horrified at the thought. Judging from the older man's reaction at seeing him, he thought that Zeff had meant when Sanji was of his own sound mind and judgment to travel on his own. To think that a kid had waited until he felt he was 'older' to go see him made him feel all sorts of emotions that felt uncomfortable with.

"How did you get out of that room?" Zoro asked curiously.

"Mm. It was open. And I smelled…there was food. In box. When I went there, a robot? A robot told me that…I…was being sent to East Blue. So. _But_ if I wanted, if I counted high enough, I could leave it."

"So, someone that knew you were there smuggled you out?"

"'Smuggle'?"

"Hide. They hid you away and mailed you out."

"Hmm, yes. I go to sleep after I eat. Then I wake up, and…I was in box. And…there were voices, and big noises, so, I stayed real quiet until…I got out, and, there was boxes all around, and then I watched. The big ones, the fat ones, they didn't go far. The skinny ones, they went too far. So, I go with the skinny ones. Because Zeff lived far away. Too far. So, I stayed quiet and got out when it was only quiet. To get food."

Law wasn't sure how to interpret this, being that whomever had paid for his destination didn't require Sanji to look for transporters.

"You were able to leave the box on your own?"

"Yes. Robot said it was trick box."

"Someone in that family knew he was still down there," Zoro said firmly. "And _they_ were the ones to send him to Zeff."

"They more than likely disguised their voice so he couldn't give them away if he were caught," Law confirmed with a nod.

Sanji exhaled heavily, smacking his lips. Then looked at him expectantly, saying, "Zeff. So, I go to Zeff."

"Yes. We're meeting him soon. Probably in another day."

With another exhale, Sanji then started scratching at his neck, saying, "Hopefully, he wants me."

" _Ugh_ ," Zoro muttered. "I don't have enough alcohol for this."

Law looked discomforted. He picked at his claws. "Well."

Nami fluttered to view at that moment. She was purple, wearing a lace scarf over her breasts, hair parted down the middle, bottom half covered with a matching lace material that did nothing to hide anything. Both catmen looked away, tails flicking with agitation.

"Good morning, you mangy animals! And look at you, you cute faced problem child," she greeted, walking up to them, waving an arm. Several monitors opened up at her command, graphs, spreadsheets and photos popping up. "The Sunny is up and running again! After running a few diagnostics on Merry, Franky was concerned about the flux capacitor – he feels it's not running at full percent. We're going to meet you here, at Warpol's Post, after you drop off your precious package."

"Sounds good. Hey, he talks, now," Zoro said. "Said a lot of interesting things."

"Like what? Like he has riches hidden somewhere that he wants me to find?"

"Not…exactly…"

"What's your name, hun?" she asked, bending over the table, both catmen pulling up from their chairs with expressions of disgust.

"Sanji."

"How old are you?"

He fiddled with his fingers for a few moments, lost in thought, but ended up shrugging.

"I'm pinning down his age to at least nineteen, twenty. Zoro. How old are you?"

"Old enough to say ' _yes'_ when older women ask," he answered with confidence.

"SHUT UP!"

"If that ever happened, I'd die of shock," Law commented in response to Zoro's answer.

"Ugh, _as if_! Sanji, you know you're a prince, right?"

"Mm. Yes."

"The third of quadruplets. You have three brothers that look almost like you."

"Yes. But…they're bigger."

"But they're _uglier_. Because they're not nice. No one likes them. And _you're_ nice. So if you end up not being nice to my crew, or my pay, I'm not going to be nice to you. Is that understood?"

"Nami, that's not necessary – "

"Yes, understood," Sanji said tightly, looking at her with hesitation.

"I just want him to understand that this is important. We don't know that much about him, but we know too much of the Vinsmokes," she said, standing up.

"Oh, he is definitely not like the Vinsmokes," Zoro said, rummaging in the cockpit for another bottle. "He just told us an interesting story."

"I'm going to have him take another shower, just to get into routine of things," Law said uncomfortably. "Why don't you tell her what he told us, Zoro?"

"What story is this?" Nami asked him curiously, as Law had Sanji follow him to the bathroom.

"Well…he might've told it a little better, but basically, his father locked him up when he was eight, didn't let him out because he wasn't like his siblings, and someone basically smuggled him out from there like he was black market goods. There were a lot of fillers in between all that that made the story better."

"You're useless," Nami commented, shaking her head, Zoro unable to convey the sympathy he felt in reaction. So she reached up and pulled down a security screen that rewound up to the moment when they were all having breakfast, watching that while Zoro shrugged, looking out the window.

They heard happy laughter at that moment, Law yowling in reaction. Distracted, Nami looked in that direction, then split herself apart, her second form marching in that direction while her clone continued watching the security feed.

She peeked into the bathroom to seeing Sanji dancing merrily under the shower spray, Law soaked from the head down. She gave him a stern look. "Why are you so upset? You're going to take a shower anyway, right?"

"No, I was planning on licking myself clean."

"Sarcasm will earn you bigger debt with me."

"I got it in my ears," Law grumbled, using his palm to wipe his ears and hair.

Nami watched Sanji shake and dance about under the spray, leaning in to gulp down water, then shouting with joy, hands pawing up at the showerhead. "My _god_ , he truly is a child. I suspect Zeff will have his hands full once we dump him. Can you imagine what it'd be like if Luffy were here? He'd be having a field day with him. So. What is your prognosis, doctor? You think he'll be okay?"

"I'm sure he will be. He's severely undernourished. But with interaction, he seems to be responding very well. It seemed he just needed…well, as he was speaking with us, it was apparent he was still using the language and mannerisms of a child. But I feel he can improve. After the initial verbal contact, he started talking a lot more."

"I see that…"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. If it's true that the Vinsmokes are an enhanced people, then I'm sure his system will recover quickly. As it is, considering the state of his living conditions, his survival – I think perhaps his genetics had a lot to do with it. Any other human being living in those conditions would have perished a long time ago. I think I'd need more details just to – unless he was eating rats to survive. But it doesn't explain his access to water. I'm assuming that he had access to water in order to hydrate himself."

"Sounds…entirely…who would do that, Law? Place a child in a place like that? For what reason, really?"

"He mentioned he was like his mother, and not like his siblings."

"So he _wasn't_ an asshole? Then again, the queen was rumored to be one of the most kind-hearted women in their galaxy…if she were a real person, that was. Not much is found on her. Every bit of information was wiped out on her not long after the kids were born."

"No, stop, this needs to be rubbed generously into your hair, and rinsed out," Law said, stopping Sanji from walking out, picking up a plain bottle. He dumped some of it into Sanji's hand, and Nami squinted as he followed Law's orders. Once he started, though, soap ran over his face. The startled noises that came after caused them both to cringe.

" _That's_ entertaining," Nami commented, hands on her hips. "So. After Zeff's warning, I was pretty paranoid after that."

"Like Zoro said, I'm sure they have better things to do than to pinpoint someone looking up their family information," Law said, reaching in to force Sanji to lean his head back into the shower spray, encouraging him to continue scrubbing.

"Right," Nami said, rubbing her arms. "Look, I guess it shouldn't be made that big a deal. I don't feel that we were set up in anyway, it could have happened to anyone, but he was hidden away for a reason, and it makes me wonder _why_."

"It's not like there was a threat to the family in having a lack of descendants. If he were 'different', as he'd mentioned, couldn't they have fixed that, being that their kingdom operates on scientific experimentation? I mean, they enhanced their children with modifications straight, right?"

Nami rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "That's the rumor. I guess, I mean – could – not even know – "

Law looked at her with a puzzled expression, as her shape began to waver, then fizz, her voice cutting out. At that very moment, Zoro looked in on them from the corridor with a puzzled expression. "Nami's on the fritz. She doing the same with you?"

"Yes," Law said, handing Sanji his clothes, looking at the hologram with a concerned look. "Does this happen very often?"

Zoro studied the ceiling for a few moments. "No."

Law looked at him with some apprehension, tail twitching anxiously. "I hope it doesn't mean anything."

"This Vinsmoke thing has you _scared_ ," Zoro sneered, before walking off to the cockpit. "What a scaredy cat."

Minutes later, Nami reappeared, looking frazzled. Surprisingly, she wasn't the form she was before she'd disappeared – she was just a plain woman with short hair, large glasses, sweats and a camisole. A little skinny, with freckles over her cheeks and a pencil holding her bangs out of her face. Zoro and Law looked relieved at seeing her before she realized her form, changing it back to the ethereal being she was earlier.

"Why do you insist on lying to yourself all the time?" Zoro asked her curiously.

"I can be whoever I want to be in this form," she huffed. "Anyway, that was really weird. I felt like we were just hijacked. Someone opened the door to our office without announcing themselves and slammed it just as quickly."

"At the main office? Or do you mean your mainframe?"

"Mainframe. Look, I'm strengthening our firewalls. I'm…that shook me up. Just in case, both of you carry a wrist-comm. I'm worried that whoever did that can take hold of Merry."

"You don't think it was the _scary_ Vinsmokes, do you? This guy is freaking out about it," Zoro said, gesturing at Law, whose fur rose with indignation.

"I'd…well…"

"Oh, _c'mon_! Not you, too!"

"It was really weird, Zoro! First, there are Imperials sniffing around the warehouse where we picked up this box. Then this missing prince shows up. _Then_ Zeff freaks out because I called him, telling us this guy is supposed to be dead – yes, okay, I am a little freaked!"

"But _why_? We're several galaxies away from theirs! There's no way they could be monitoring our communication frequencies!"

"I don't know," Nami said slowly, tapping her teeth. "Now that we have the box in our hands, we can be tracked anywhere. Unless they were monitoring Zeff, too. But if so, then they were already watching him. Maybe they knew this guy was missing and had their feelers out, already."

Both catmen looked at her in silence, then at the man who was trying to keep up with the conversation, sitting on the bench with his knees pulled up to his chest.

Then Zoro snorted. "These are probably just coincidences. There's no way they can find us, and, besides, we went off course, right? Zeff said he'll erase stuff so our log can't be traced."

Nami approached Sanji. "Do you know if people are looking for you?"

He shook his head in response. "They never looked for me."

"When was the last time you saw your father?"

For a moment, Sanji thought about it, then pulled up his sleeve, showing her a faded scar. It looked like a human bite mark. "Since this one."

"I can calculate that scar's age, and based on the amount of scar tissue there, it's over five years old," Nami told the other two. "How about your siblings?"

"Since this one," he said, pulling up his pants hem and showing off what looked to be a long scratch.

"That's about seven years old. What about this 'robot' you were talking about?"

"Mm, no. Only heard when I was in the box."

Nami exhaled heavily, straightening up. "He's kept track of time by his fucking _scars_."

"How do you think _we_ feel, having heard it all? It drove me to drink!"

"Anything drives _you_ to drink, Dumb Ass! Listen, I think that we're going to have to make different plans with Zeff by dropping him off somewhere closer. That way, we can get these guys off our tail, and just…wash our hands of this."

The three of them fell silent at that moment, all of them thinking the same thing. Their guilty expressions fell on the man that looked at them hopefully, and Nami rubbed her left breast while Law's shoulders hunched, and Zoro went searching for another bottle.

"It's a good thing Luffy isn't involved with this one. I can just hear his voice, now. 'Forget it! We're keeping him! We'll just kick all their asses!'" she mimicked, taking on her husband's mannerisms. "I'm rerouting Merry to the nearest planet, and Zeff will just have to find him there. This is for the safety and security of my team. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous situation, and no one wants to die for it. We weren't paid for that sort of thing, and we're not a rescue team. That's _final_. Sorry, kid, I mean, guy, but that's just how it is."

"It's okay, Zeff will want me," Sanji reassured her, but started to look doubtful, lips pulled in between his teeth.

Nami hunched with shame, and Law's ears completely flattened, shoulders lifting even higher.

"I can't find my fucking booze!" Zoro shouted from the cargo bay.

"This is business, this is exactly how it works. I'm going back to the office. Find those wrist-comms," she then said, disappearing from sight, Merry giving the reassurance that she was now changing routes.

Scratching his head, Law looked at Sanji helplessly. "I apologize. I'm sure Zeff will find you, and you two will be okay. It's just…we're not…we're just ordinary people."

"I understand. It's okay."

" _Look_ ," Zoro said, reappearing, pulling the cork out of a new bottle with his teeth and spitting it to the side, "kid, it'd be a different story if we were better equipped for this. As it is, I'm the only one out of us with any battle experience, and if we're talking about keeping you from your megalomaniac family that's genetically modified to be straight up warriors, then it's a losing battle. There's only so much I can do. And I'm sure his sissy la la powers can't do the job forever, considering all he fought with was Maybelline and L'Oreal!"

"It was Urban Decay, you bastard."

" _Whatever_. Point is, we're just not the guys to do it. We're…small."

"Small man complex," Sanji said, nodding with understanding.

"No. _Not_ it. That's not it!"

"I'm sure Nami has the situation handled," Law said uncomfortably.

"My family is very strong. We were trained from a very young age. So. And you _would_ be killed. Because they're bigger, now, so…it's okay."

Zoro took a long drink of his bottle before passing it to Law, who took a shorter drink of his own. "You know what's fucked up about this situation? Is that he's reassuring _us_ because we can't do shit for him. He knows we don't have a chance. Hell, _he_ doesn't even have a chance. What are they going to do to him when they catch up?"

Law shrugged uncomfortably. Took another drink before Zoro snatched it from him. He rolled his shoulders as he made his way to the cockpit.

"Enough of this! Nami will fix it. All we can do is just…wait to get there. I'm turning on music. And finishing this bottle. Give him more food if he wants. Hell."

His black tail whipped about anxiously as Law stood in place, looking from one to the other. Sanji looked at him with a worried expression, reading their tension and anxiety, but he didn't move. Zoro turned up the radio, blasting Marilyn Manson from the ship's speakers.

"Would you like something more to eat?" Law asked Sanji.

He received a solemn shake of the head, and then looked over at Zoro again, but there was no point in anymore conversation on the matter. So he went and took a shower, and busied himself doing mundane things, trying to escape the suffocating feel of guilt and fear.

: :

He emerged from the bathroom wearing his favorite black vest, a short sleeved shirt with a shawl collar, and his worn black pants. Clipping on his holsters, he heard Zoro grumbling in the cockpit, polishing his swords. Sanji was taking a nap on his bed, blanket and pillow pushed to the floor, and Law winced as he walked past him. He sat in the co-pilot's chair, propping his feet up on the dash at an angle.

For some time they listened to Zoro's music, watching the stars flit by. In the distance was a nearby swirl of gas and light, the colors reflecting a brilliant green and blue, with shades of orange at the edges. There was a massive star ahead that bloomed with color, making the cockpit overly warm. Zoro flicked on the air conditioning, drying the sword with the white scabbard.

"Look, I've been wrestling with my conscience this entire time about this whole thing. It's bothering me."

"I see that."

"Like, what is so freaking wrong with an entire family that they'd dump an eight year old kid into some well, or whatever, and just leave him in there? Like, what could a kid do to piss off his dad that much?"

"I can't fathom it."

Law looked at him from the corner of his eye, Zoro grumbling once more as he set the sword aside.

Then he glared out the window. "He freaking _apologized_ because we're fucking weaklings."

"Well…to be fair, he understands that his family is quite powerful and we're, well, _not_. There's only two of us. And two against an empire isn't…fair."

Zoro thinned his lips, tail lashing out with agitation. His ears kept shifting, and his brow was furrowed. "If Luffy were here, he'd be all for it."

"But he's not, so…and Nami is right. We…there's just no way…"

"Space is huge. There's no way we can be found so quickly, or anything. And…"

"I think once we leave him with this Zeff, it'll be…out of our hands. Whatever happens after that, will be…a story that lessens to nothing but a painful memory with time."

"You deal with that, a lot? Painful memories?"

"I'm sure we all have them."

"Yeah," Zoro said, looking at the stars reluctantly. "You're right. In time, it'll just be something else I can drink to."

"Not that it's given you much of an excuse in the first place."

" _Shaddup_."

Law looked down at his boots, then his claws. They sat in relative silence for some time, letting Johnny Cash and June Carter sing about Jackson, then the music fizzed for a moment. Suddenly both of them were jerked out of their seats, a hard rocking force sending everything flying forward. They heard Sanji cry out with surprise, cups and bottles hitting the floor in a clatter of sound. A harsh suction sound caused Zoro to sit up with a panicked noise, pushing away from the dash, flipping a couple of switches. Once the display popped up in the monitor overhead, both of them were horrified to see that they were caught in a tractor beam, forcefully pulled off-course.

" _Shit_! Who the fuck _is_ that?" Zoro asked with shock, Law pushing up from his seat and then reaching for the headset nearby, demanding identification.

"Open up! It's the police!" an unfamiliar voice cackled from their intercom.

"They hacked into our system," Zoro said aloud, looking at Law with consternation. Law stood up, seeing that Sanji was standing in the cockpit doorway, looking scared.

"Who the hell is this?" Zoro demanded, rising up from the chair once he felt the harsh rocking of an unwelcomed ramp lowering down to their main hatch door near the cargo bay.

"I told you! I'm the galactic police! I demand entry! Either open up on your own, or I'm busting in! Either way works fine for me, but I _will_ be in there."

"Open the door," Law told Zoro. "Cooperate. This ship can't handle anymore rough treatment."

With frustration, Zoro released the locks. "What are we doing?"

"We're going to go meet whoever it is while I contact Nami."

"There's no point in that, I've blocked all your communication codes."

"I'm hating this guy already, thinking he can order me around," Zoro muttered. Sanji looked at them, scared, uncertain of what was happening. Law held a finger to his lips, signaling for him to be quiet. Swords at his hip, Zoro then hurried through the corridor, heading for the cargo bay.

It had only taken minutes for the tractor beam to pull them close enough for the other ship's ramp to fall over them. Law stood with Sanji, his sword at his side, unable to relax. His fur was all on edge, and he heard Zoro growling in preparation. Sanji was feeding off the tension, looking desperate as their anxieties were made obvious.

Law had a good idea of who was out there, but he stood quietly next to him, hearing the cargo bay doors open. Zoro gave him warning of four men boarding.

Sanji looked at Law, shaking slightly. Law tried not to look at him again, feeling guilty, feeling angry, feeling this _emotion_ hit him at that moment. He heard the voice of their unwelcome visitors at that moment, ringing out over Zoro's shout.

"What _up_ , hoes? Hey, look what we got here, boys, we got us some pussy on board!"

"Fuck you! What the hell are you doing, you're not the fuckin' police!"

"Made you nervous, boy? Look at you, so _tiny_. Compared to me, you're a smidgeling of a man. Say hey, tell me – what's the weather like down there? Ha!"

Sanji looked at Law again, his expression pleading with him. With a low sound of frustration, he shoved Sanji onto the bed, whispering, "Hold tight. Don't move."

Before he could say or do anything, Law shoved the bed into the wall, the whisper of the lock slipping in place lost underneath the intruder's voice. He looked at it, seeing that he couldn't see the outline of the furniture – he had to thank Nami and Franky's borderline obsession with 'clean lines'. They were near invisible on the metal plating wall, accessed only by knowing that they were there. Which was why Sanji was pawing at it hours earlier, looking for the furniture that he had seen.

Then Law ventured out from the corridor, raising his hands with surprise as three large men with rifle-style blasters looked at him, lifting their weapons in his direction. The man standing with them was dressed in black, with vibrant green lining, green underlining underneath the black cape. His armor style suit had a high collar, and he wore thick gloves that opened at the forearms. His blond hair was styled outlandishly at a point from the crown of his head, spiral eyebrows opposite of Sanji's. He identified him as the youngest Vinsmoke brother, Yonji. He was his height, maybe taller, looking strong and muscular in his upper torso, healthy – while Sanji shared some of his features, he was definitely the runt in this group.

As he approached them, Eminem started asking for the real Slim Shady to stand up, which made Zoro's mouth twitch a little.

"Look at this! Where you come from, bro? Sneaking up like that can get a man killed, huh? We're a little jumpy when we're boarding strange ships," he said cheerfully, looking to high five Law, then jerking his hand back. "Just kidding. I don't know you. Both of you stand together, okay? This is going to be short and easy."

When Law stood next to Zoro, who was still growling dangerously, tail flicking, ears flattened, the man looked from one to the other with amusement.

"This so funny! A tiger and a cat! I heard of your people, before, but I never expected you to look so… _human_! Hey, you have animal parts all over? Never mind, don't show me. Look, long story short, my father is _kind_ of a big deal out here. He's a ruler of an Empire, I'm sure you heard of it. Germa? I know, it sounds foreign, but I can assure you, it actually exists, I come from there. My name's Yonji, by the way, I'm _sort_ of important, too," he said, blathering on in such a loud, obnoxious voice that the pair had no choice but to hear him. He then waved at them individually, expecting them to give their names.

Both catmen stared at him in sullen silence, and then Yonji frowned, drawing back with a step.

"Listen up, pussies, this is how it works. I introduce myself first, and then _you're_ supposed to. Anybody that doesn't is just plain rude. Now, I'll ask again because I'm a nice guy. Who the fuck are you two?"

Seeing Zoro set his jaw, Law answered quietly, "His name is Law. Mine is Zoro."

"Huh. Stupid names. Anyway, whatever. Listen up, Zoro, here's the situation. My dad's guys picked up a signal from this pile of metal that you call a ship, looking into our private family database about us. He's very protective of his precious children, and he only wants to make sure that this intrusion wasn't a threat of some kind to us. Though, I _kinda_ have to say, I don't think you'd make a big threat, considering what a dump this place, is," Yonji added, looking around himself. "My shitter is bigger than this is."

"I'm afraid it was all my fault," Law said. "I had not heard of the Germa Empire. So our AI was the one that found the information needed in order to educate me. I'm new to space, this is my second travel. I apologize if you'd felt threatened by what I'd asked her to do."

"Oh." Yonji then made a flicking motion to the men standing around him, all of whom spread out, guns at ready. "Well, if that's all that it was, then I'm going to have my friends here check out the rest of your ship. See, just to make sure you aren't hiding any dangerous weapons that I _could_ perceive as a threat to the Germa Empire. Also, I did some snooping in your travel log as we were hauling you ass to hip. You picked up some stuff from a warehouse. I'm interested in that."

"A box? We picked up one box."

"It was set for the East Blue. The East Blue happens to hate us. So I need to check this out. Where is it?"

Zoro pointed at the box, still in its ties, near them. Yonji ventured over, hands on his hips as he walked around it, examining it with a frown. Moments later, the three returned, shaking their heads.

"It's very small," one of them said.

"I found three living beings on this crate, and there's one missing," Yonji said, searching the lid's edge for leverage before pulling it up. He looked inside, then drew back with a hard cough. Waving his hands in front of his face, he held his breath and looked in. Then gave Zoro and Law a frown. "A _cape_? You're transporting a cape from one galaxy to another?"

They shrugged.

"All we do is pick shit up, take it, and leave it," Zoro answered with a frown. "We don't look in it. We don't care what it is."

Yonji tossed the lid aside, giving them frowns. He then walked away from them, heading for the kitchen, the living space. Zoro glanced at Law before following. Yonji examined their kitchen with disinterest, then opened up some cupboards, the small refrigerator. Leaving that area, he examined the living space. He looked at the wall with interest, then saw the blanket and pillow on the floor. The bench seat was given a look as well, which he looked at them with a curled lip.

"You guys share a bed?"

"Are you _serious_?" Zoro asked him impatiently.

"Hey, some guys do that." Yonji then looked into the cockpit, spying the empty bottles, the polishing material Zoro had used earlier. "I take it this is your room. You look like a drinker."

"Stay out of it."

"This little shit slop of a ship is just pitiful. Can't you afford something bigger?"

"We found this, sir," one of the men said, emerging from the bathroom.

He held a clump up of dirty hair, left behind from where Zoro had cut Sanji's hair. Both catmen stilled as Yonji marched over to investigate. He held onto the strands, which weren't more than an inch long, taken from when Zoro had 'messed up' and had to re-cut again.

"What's this? This hair doesn't belong to any of you," Yonji said suspiciously, looking at them.

Law cleared his throat noisily, looking off to the side. "I dye my hair frequently. That isn't from my head, I assure you."

Yonji dropped the clump with haste, looking disgusted. Zoro tried not to laugh at his horrified expression.

"We're trying to get on our way, we've got a Water Mite on board," Zoro said impatiently. "It's been in our fresh water supply. Our AI said it was nearly 72 kilograms big, and growing. Maybe _that_ was what you saw."

"Oh. _Gross_. Those things are _nasty_. Well, sorry about this. But Germa takes threats seriously. Hey, thanks for being cooperative, and shit. I appreciate not being tested to show-off my extraordinary display of strength and manly might."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Zoro muttered, hand tightening on one sword as he watched them head for the doors. Yonji then stopped in mid-step, his men pausing along with him, looking to him for their next move.

In the background, Eminem stopped rapping, switching to the next song.


	5. Brother, Pt II

**A/N: The last half of the chapter. Hopefully my reviews show soon!**

 **Glasses: I have been heaping it on, huh? Ugh….I should stop… after this. Maybe.**

 **Saemoon: He heard Zoro muttering behind his back. :D And thank you for the compliments!**

 **5: Brother, Pt. II**

"What did you say? I thought I heard you muttering behind my back," Yonji said, turning and walking back to them with large, deliberate steps. When his mouth stopped moving, Merry continued the translation. Law felt his ears flick, fur rising straight up on end as the man approached them with a widening grin. "I'm standing in front of you now, so you don't have to talk to my back. You can say whatever it was to my face, where I'm better able to hear you."

"I said, ' _You're welcome_ '," Zoro repeated, not backing up as Yonji stopped mere inches away from him, looking down at him with a smirk. His green ears were flat, pupils wide, and his tail slashed from side to side as his hand hadn't left his sword. Law looked at the clones as they approached, expressionless. They gave them space, blasters leveled at them with warning.

Yonji studied Zoro's expression for a few moments, one side of his mouth curling up. The fur stripes were standing straight up as well, and so was the tuft of green hair between his ears. He then looked at Law, noting that his reaction was similar, but less aggressive. Yonji smiled a little wider, suddenly attuned to the music playing. He lifted his index fingers up, swirling them in beat with the tune.

"Ah! I recognize this song! This is…I've heard it before, don't tell me. 'I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy'. Wow. This is battle music. This is getting amped up before being dropped into the front lines. Have you been to the front lines, man? You look pretty hard. Not like your friend here, who looks a little soft."

"Please be on your way, we have a job to do," Law said tightly, as Yonji pulled his wrists in to his chest and did a little dance to the building tune.

" 'Too late, my time has come!' Man, doesn't this – _doesn't it just get you_ in the mood to _fuck_ shit _up_?" Yonji asked, spinning a little, giving them a little distance to play a little air guitar. Both Law and Zoro watched him with some building irritation, watching him go solo for a few lines before 'swinging' the instrument aside, as if it were caught on a strap around his chest.

He was once again in Zoro's space, Zoro ready to react, growling low as Yonji put his fingers up again, swirling them to the beat, singing, "'Galileo galileo galileo! Galileo Figeuro! _Magnifico_!'"

Without warning, he landed his first punch across Zoro's face, then followed immediately with another, still singing along to the song blasting from the cockpit. Zoro was caught off guard, slamming hard against the doorway, and just as Law registered that this had happened, intending on forming a Room to assist, Yonji had hit him, too, knocking him clear across the living space, denting the wall. A chair popped out from the wall, and a side table shifted out, caught on the rim of the slot space.

Yonji looked at this with surprise, distracted. "Holy shit! Look at this! This entire wall holds more stuff?"

He turned as he heard Zoro moving, growling viciously as his swords were withdrawn, and Yonji turned, bullrushing him immediately, slamming them both into the doorway once more. He rained punches out, singing along with the song.

" 'Oh momma mia momma mia! Momma mia let me goo _oo_!'"

He pulled Zoro up by the collar of his shirt, punching him a couple more times before tossing him away, turning to look for Law. But all of a sudden, his head jerked downward as Zoro's Jim Beam bottle shattered over his skull, glass raining everywhere. He jerked back, stumbling over Zoro before catching himself against the doorway, rattled. He sputtered fiercely, looking up with surprise, wondering why the clones didn't cover his back.

When he laid his eyes on the smaller man before him, Yonji's eyes widened. He froze in mid-motion. His mouth dropped open, and a strange sound emerged from him at the sight of a brother he never expected to see. Ignoring the sound of Zoro moving, at the sight of Law slowly climbing up from the floor, Yonji's eyes coursed over the smaller stature of his older brother, noting the spindly arms, the hunched shoulders, the determined glare. He held the bottle firmly with both hands, breathing tightly. He looked like an experiment gone wrong, and as Yonji took a step forward, Sanji took a slight step back, hissing, crouching low.

Much like a rat.

"Oh…my…fucking… _stars_ ," he exclaimed, breathlessly. Then he looked up at the ceiling of the ship, gesturing wildly. "Oh my fucking _GOD_! _WOW_! What is this? WHAT is _THIS_? I don't understand!"

"Yonji - ! My friends!" Sanji snapped at him, and Yonji lowered his arms to stare wordlessly at him again, mouth falling open.

He then looked at Zoro, grabbing his shirt, shaking him hard. "Are you getting this? Are you _hearing_ this? My _brother_! That's my fucking brother! He was supposed to be _dead_ all this time - ! Guys! _Hey_! Look! It's _Sanji_!" he then hollered at the clones, who looked at him without reaction. Yonji dropped Zoro and stepped towards Sanji, waving his arms grandly at the man that didn't dare lower the broken bottle. "This! Is! My! _Brother_! _Fuck_! Fuck, wait 'til pops hears of this! Wait 'til – oh, _man_ , when the others hear of this - ! Woooo- _ooooow_!"

Yonji reached towards Sanji at this time, and Sanji quickly shifted aside, moving fast, but the excitement, the physical exertion he put into hurting Yonji and keeping him at bay had him exhausted. His arms were lowering, and he grit his teeth, setting himself to avoid any other attack. Yonji dragged his hands down the side of his face, then laughed grandly, twirling away, his cape hitting Zoro in the face.

"This is so _dank_! How the hell did you survive the explosion on the boat? You couldn't even _swim_! Look at you! How the fuck _are_ you, man?"

Sanji's face reflected some confusion, saying breathlessly, "Boat? In cell. Far down from home."

Yonji stopped moving to stare at him, then put the words together. He once again looked shocked, reeling back with dramatic fanfare. "In the _dungeons_? You were in the dungeons this _entire_ time? _No fucking way_."

He laid Zoro out with a single punch as the man made to attack him from the side, the force sending Zoro flying into the corridor, dropping a sword.

"Pops said you died out there in the Red Sea. There's no way – like, why would he _lie_?" Yonji asked incredulously, taking the steps necessary to loom over him, looking like some black and green troll.

"You truly thought he'd perished in the explosion?" Law asked, watching him cautiously, hand to his bleeding lip, his aching jaw.

"Well, yeah. I mean…they couldn't find the body, so…but, here, he was _under_ us the entire time," Yonji trailed off, staring at Sanji once more. His eyes took in the sight of his emaciated form, his raggedly cut hair, hunched form. Lingered on the slight shake of skeletal fingers holding tightly onto the broken bottle. The exertion of previous action taking its toll, rendering him a heaving breathing bag of bones. His eye twitched. Law wished he could tell what Yonji was thinking at that moment, looking at someone that had a face like his, but malformed into something else.

Yonji suddenly looked rattled. His lips tightened, and he looked at the clones. "Wrap it up. Let's jam, yo. We're taking him home."

"Hold on, there," Zoro snarled, limping out from the corridor, bleeding from the nose. "Not yet."

"Dude, there's no time for this. _You're_ done. You weren't worth it," Yonji scoffed. "Sanji, let's go, bro."

Sanji stared at him for a few moments, then straightened as much as he was able to. He looked at Law and Zoro with a sad frown, accepting his fate. Then bowed politely, Yonji giving a sound of reproach, outraged that he did so.

"Royals don't _bow_ to weaklings!"

"Thank you for taking care of me," Sanji said slowly. "You were both very strong, but I suspect that others won't be. I will return home."

"They weren't _even_ strong! I knocked them out with the first punch! They're fuckin' _lucky_ I wasn't anyone else! Let's go!" Yonji said impatiently, reaching out and grabbing his arm, nearly yanking him off his feet as he made their way into the other corridor. "Yo, everyone's going to freak when they see you, again! Even more so when they find out you been under us this entire time!"

Law stood carefully, holding his jaw as Zoro made to intercept the group of men. Then Law hurried after Zoro, seeing Yonji ignore the tiger as he dragged his brother behind him, all but one of the clones turning and leveling their blasters their way. The doors closed behind the three that left their ship, and Law had to take cover as the cargo bay flashed with bright light. Zoro hastily ran back to him, breathing hard, looking stunned at this entire thing.

"Well…that's it, then, right?" Law said, taking cover behind one of the chairs. "Out of our hands. Nothing but a painful memory for the future."

Zoro exhaled heavily, leaning to the side to release a bloody snot rocket onto the floor. He glared at the sight of the clones moving their way. Then looked at Law from the corner of his eye.

"They're pretty strong," he admitted.

"Imagine if there were more of them."

Zoro gave a sound of slow acknowledgement. "Yeah."

Law ducked as low as he could to avoid catching one of the blaster's emissions to the face, but his ears felt the heat of the passing laser. "He knew we weren't going to make it against his brother."

Zoro gave a low growl, ears flattened against his head, tail snapping against the floor. Law looked at him once more, waiting.

"I told you, he's fuckin' asshole for thinking I'm weak!"

"You should probably tell him that. I don't think he knows."

Zoro looked at him, then, and both of them waited for the other to say it. Merry rocked violently, released from the hold, and they heard the larger ship shifting away from theirs, the ramp moving away from the craft.

"Yeah, I should probably kick his ass for that," he said slowly, Law nodding in agreement.

"Count to sixty. If I'm not back before then, shove off. Set Merry into jumpspeed away from here."

"How slow should I count?" Zoro called after him, one of the clones peering around the corner to locate him.

"One Mississippi!"

"All right. One Mississippi…two Mississippi," Zoro counted to himself, going after the clones that made to separate.

Law focused on the sight of the ramp he'd seen Yonji use, and caught himself in midstep once he was there. It was locked up, and he could see the three walking a long corridor toward a wide deck space, where other clones were standing. Yonji was still talking, gesturing wildly, and those that could see Law were leveling weapons in his direction.

At their startled shouts, Yonji turned around to see what was happening. Law formed a Room, and immediately switched himself with Sanji so that he was out of the way, and he could draw his sword against the brother that reacted with startled surprised, swinging wildly at him. The blade caught over the coated knuckles of Yonji's fist, and Law ducked quickly once he sensed movement from the side. He switched himself out with a clone just outside the room, Yonji hitting it hard, reacting with surprise when he saw it wasn't his intended victim.

Teleporting away from him, Law grabbed Sanji's arm and reappeared back onto Merry. Zoro saw him, grinning. "Forty-eight Mississippi…"

As he was fighting off the clones, blocking their blaster discharges, Law heard Merry say, "I have detected a missile lock. Shall I engage into evasive maneuvering?"

"For fuck's sake, YES!" Law heard Zoro bellow, and Law hastily made his way to the cockpit as Merry veered violently downward, making his stomach jerk. Various items, loosed from the earlier pull, rattled onto the floor. Sanji lost his balance with a low cry, slamming up against the wall as Law fell over the dash. He righted himself, looking at the monitor, seeing that there were currently several missile locks on them, and three of them were being fired their way.

"That's how it is?" they heard Yonji's voice blast over the intercom. "I'm not going to be so nice, now! I'll just fuck _all_ your shit up! Sanji, if you can hear me, I'll finish you off where pops couldn't! I guess you were meant to get dead!"

"You'd think for an Imperial, he'd be properly educated," Law muttered to himself.

"I _heard_ that, nerd!"

Law released some emergency flares, then placed his right hand over the touchpad in the center of the dash, pushing heel forward. Merry released herself from autopilot and let him take over, so he pushed down on the pad once more, using his fingers to guide it violently from side to side, watching as two of the missiles slammed into each other amidst the flares, and the third continued after them. Merry announced three other locks, and he felt sweat gathering at his hairline, dripping into the collar of his shirt. He pulled Merry up into a harsh popover, and then gunned the engine back towards Yonji's cruiser. Merry called out the missile's closing distance, so he released the last of the emergency flares, and pushed Merry into a hard right, dipping low.

He heard Zoro screaming at him from one end of the bay to the other, Sanji eking out startled noises as he skidded over the floor, and then all of their stomachs lifted and crashed as he pushed Merry into a barrel roll, causing one of the missiles to veer into the path of its companions.

Law then shifted Merry up to the cruiser as it prepared to take off, riding close to its forcefield as it shimmered into place. Merry announced three more locks, then pointed out incoming artillery from the north. Realizing that they were caught in the sights of the nearest cannons, Law grimaced, then pushed Merry up and over the cruiser before pushing her into one last dive, straight down from the cruiser as its forcefield shimmer violently, releasing the last of its missiles before disappearing in a flurry of blurry shape and light, taking a short route back to Germa.

"SHIELDS UP, MERRY!" Law heard Zoro shout, Merry announcing that she'd set them up, and that there were four more missiles locked in on their location. Law winced, blinking sweat from his eyes. He had forgotten about their own forcefield. Stomach in his throat, he pushed Merry down, hearing Sanji shout with fright, and Zoro cursing violently from somewhere in the bay.

Eyeing the missiles, Law waited a few more moments before forcing Merry into another spin, the missiles spiraling after them. Once he had his own eyes locked on a point on the monitor, he pulled Merry out of the spin and careened sharply to the left. One of the missiles bumped into the other, causing a fiery explosion that burst as light then faded as quickly as they'd burst. The last missile continued after them, and he cursed, having put all his hope into taking them all out at that moment.

"Merry, I need something to hide behind," he said hastily, thinking of the asteroid field that they'd seen earlier. _Somewhere_.

"Location. Planet. Habitable. Flora. Plenty of swimming pools, good barbeque weather," she assured him, causing him to sputter with the useless information.

"You – bastard – fly her _right_!" Zoro snarled from behind him, snatching onto the back of his chair. "Lose that thing!"

"Request entry! Emergency entry!"

"There is no need for requests – it is uninhabited," Merry reported. "Used by pirates to stow black market goods."

"Good enough. Hold on," Law told Zoro, looking for an acceptable entry point within the atmosphere, Merry automatically taking over the action, much to their dismay.

"Do not worry, I have this," she said pleasantly, forcing them to lose speed, to tilt slightly in order to best the planet's atmosphere. The ship shook violently, the glass panes shaking so harshly that both Law and Zoro thought it'd snap at any moment. As they entered, they were immediately shown bright blue skies, with high mountain ranges, flattened trees. Then looked at the missile that was moments from hitting them.

"TELEPORT THAT THING!" Zoro snarled at him, Law jerking with reaction as he realized belatedly that he could do so.

He glanced at the ground below, noting the high mountaintops, the clear lake waters, and then focused on one set of rocks lined up near a hill. The missile slammed into the formation with brilliant force, rocking the air, sending up a huge plume of smoke and debris into the air. Merry righted herself with a low hum, and began suggesting landing locations.

Both men caught their breath, slumped with exertion and fright. Then Zoro slapped the back of Law's head, causing him to snarl.

"How could you forget that you could have used those damn powers?" he asked, hissing.

"I told you! I'm not a fucking fighter!" Law snarled back, growling. "I didn't even think of that sort of thing in the heat of the moment!"

"You went down so easily!"

"I'd never been hit, before!"

"You said you were in fights!"

"Not hand to hand fights!"

" _USELESS_!"

"What about you? You got your ass handed to you!"

"FUCK!"

Once Merry landed on a smooth strip of rock, thrusters exhaling softly, the ship rocking once as she settled, both men were adrenaline weary, peering out the window with cautious action. All around them were short hill tops, with rocky trails. The trees around them were flattened on top, surrounded by bright, neon green flora. Flowers bobbed their heads cheerily, and strange, lizard-like birds fluttered overhead with brilliantly colored feathers. One landed on Merry's nose, looking in at them. Its bald head glimmered brightly, as if crowned with diamonds.

After studying it for a few moments, Zoro said, "Isn't she pretty? Sort of like those birds in –"

He cut himself short as the bird used its head to hit the glass, screeching low. It hit the glass again and again, joined by another bird that looked in at them with slow blinking eyes. Both of them hit the glass with their heads, using such force that it made both men jerk in place.

"NAMI!" Zoro shouted, pulling away to look for his wrist-comm. "NAMI!"

"That guy scrambled our communication codes," Law reminded him, pulling up his sleeve. He examined the device he'd strapped on after Nami had left, anxious as it revealed nothing. From his side, a black communicator was pushed into his line of vision, and he looked at it, then at Sanji with surprise.

"Yonji's. He dropped it," Sanji said, pushing it at him to take.

Law took it, uncertain about using it. He wiped the center screen with his thumb, then watched as the Germa symbol popped up. Reluctantly, he entered Nami's email address into the prompt line below, knowing that they could be cut off or located through the use of the device at any time.

Once Nami answered, she sent him instructions to open up a link. He opened up the link, and watched the screen fizz brilliantly for a few moments, until her holographic form popped up on his wrist seconds later. She had her hands to her head as she gazed around them with clear shock.

"What _happened_?" she cried. " _Where are you_?"

"We had to land hard. Look, that entire Vinsmoke thing, it was true. They stopped us, there was a confrontation, and - !"

Her eyes were wide as saucers, her fingers clenching into her hair tightly. "They _stopped_ you? They stopped _Merry_ – are you _bleeding_? _What_ \- ? Where's Zoro?"

"Right here. Look. We need to get out of here. There are birds. Trying to eat us. They're trying to get in, look at those things!" Zoro snapped, pointing at the window, Nami turning to look. There were four more birds looking in at them, hitting the panes with their hard heads.

" _Oh my god_! Look, leave that communicator on! I am trying to find you guys right now – I can't communicate with Merry at all. The codes were scrambled, so – I can't get anything from her! Cover your ears, let me get rid of those birds."

At the extremely high pitched sonic whine that emerged from the wrist-comm, both catmen reacted with startled screeches and lifted fur, but the birds reacted similarly as well, squealing as they took flight, feathers fluttering behind them.

Once the window was clear, Nami waited for Zoro and Law to compose themselves, their faces twitching as their ears fluttered, both of them looking pained as a ringing persisted.

Determined to get an idea of what was happening, she rubbed her eye. "How did…look. _Okay_. Let's all stop. We need to breathe. Where's Sanji?"

"He's here. His brother…had a very curious reaction to him," Law said, looking at the man that sat wearily on the floor, lost in thought. "He was the youngest. He was stunned in that Sanji was still alive. He had been convinced that he'd died in the explosion on the Red Sea."

"But didn't Sanji mention that they'd stopped bothering him five years ago?" Nami asked curiously, bewildered.

"He mentioned only Niji in that story, if I can recall."

She chewed at her bottom lip, then turned to look up at Zoro. Frowning, hands on her hips, she waited until he lifted his head, revealing his bloodied face. She winced.

"You got your ass kicked, didn't you?" she asked with sympathy. " _Damn_."

"We almost died, and that's the only thing you can think of, right now?" he asked impatiently.

" _You're_ the one with all the 'battle experience', and it looks like you took on the entire fleet."

"Yonji wasn't very nice," Sanji said grimly, looking at his fingers.

"It was just _one_ man?" Nami asked, trying not to laugh, Zoro snarling at her. "Right, right, okay, look. I'm going to send the others your way to pick you guys up. Um…I hate to ask, but…was there a chance that this could have been….avoided?"

Both men looked uneasily at each other, then glanced over at the man sitting on the floor. He looked at them with a frown, fiddling with a piece of glass.

Nami sighed, hands on her hips as she shook her head tiredly. She knew exactly why Luffy had demanded that they were to be hired. All of them were bleeding hearts.

"Taking on the Germa Empire is something you guys don't mind doing? I hope you both understand the actions you're taking, right now. At least tell me you both thought it out and have a plan."

"Woman, don't ever question a man's reasoning for his actions," Zoro said firmly.

"Because they don't know for themselves!" Nami barked at him. "They do it on impulse!"

"…Well…sometimes. But the outcome is always good."

She rolled her eyes, looking at Law. "And you?"

He shrugged, fiddling with his tail. "He was very convincing with his argument."

" _SHUT U_ P! You're the one that went charging up into the other guy's ship to get him!"

"You - ! Both - ! _Argh_!" Nami growled, fists at her head. "None of you are - ! Ugh, if you were here, I'd stomp on both your tails! Look! I know where you are. You're on a planet called 'Little Garden'. It isn't inhabited or recognized by any federations, which makes it a pirates' paradise. Just lay low, the Sunny should be there within a few days travel, if not sooner, if Franky repaired it right. Get rid of that communicator, Zoro."

Zoro snapped it up from Law's outstretched hand, and crushed it within one hand.

Looking at the pair of them with a shake of her head, Nami muttered, "You guys give me a freaking headache. Why did I agree to this? Why didn't I go for the rich brother, I'd be swimming in plastic surgery and jewelry by now…"

'Well, you're stuck with us, so figure it out, witch. What's this place look like? Are you fixing the codes to Merry so you can run a diagnostic? I'm sure she can herself, but I don't know how much of her is damaged."

"I'm working on it right now, but it's a complicated process. Have her run one anyway. Meanwhile, you might as well as explore your surroundings, locate fresh water and find food. I'm sure it'll take some hours before the others can reach you. Did you ever find that Water Mite?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it," Zoro muttered, walking away while Law stood from the seat.

Nami looked down at Sanji, who looked troubled by the entire thing. With a grim smile, she said, "Well, buddy, looks like you're stuck with them for awhile. They don't seem to want to give you up that easily."

He didn't say anything in return, still processing everything that had happened. Law patted the top of his head as he went to go join Zoro to look for the Water Mite, Nami still complaining about their choices made in life.


	6. Little Garden

**6: Little Garden**

They walked down the ramp minutes later, Sanji shielding his eyes as the bright sun caused him immense discomfort. But all around them was the scent of fresh, clean air, and a discomforting humidity that made both catmen start to sweat. The flowers called out with musical squeaks, swaying amongst each other, flower heads dancing with movement. The trees fluttered, casting triangle shaped leaves. Clouds built and curled over each other in the sky above. There was a flutter of wings as the birds from earlier set to the spongy ground, prancing about with nervous barks. Their heads glinted under the sun's touch.

Zoro panted lightly, Law fanning himself as he looked around with curiosity. Sanji was in complete awe, gaping from one direction to the other. He crouched, touching the ground under foot with curious hands as Zoro took a few steps away, looking back at Merry's worn metal sides. Law unbuttoned his vest, letting it swing open as he took in the sights around him.

The grass looked deliciously green, springy, but it seemed to move independently, suggesting individual action. The flowers had caught sight of him, and curled up their buds, Sanji uttering sounds of curiosity as he crouched in for a better look at them. He reached out to touch them, the flowers uttering distressed noises, swinging away from his hand. He entertained himself with this, moving from one spot to the other, delighted at the conscious movement. There was so much color around him that he simply gaped at it, taking it all in. Inhaling deeply, he then exhaled slowly, standing up to shield his eyes from the sun, taking in the sight of moving vines over fluttering trees. His mouth fell open once more, moving from one thing to another, in awe over this new world compared to the darkness he was used to. He began moving again, examining the grass, the flowers, touching whatever he could with an expression of wonder.

Zoro shook his head as he frowned at the scorch marks on Merry's back end, Luffy's logo nearly peeled from the harsh chrome. "This is being cut from your paycheck," he warned Law. "That witch will take everything from you."

"It shouldn't be _that_ big of a deal!"

"She'll find ways to squeeze money from your check, trust me."

They both turned at hearing Sanji's delighted laughter as he chased after the birds, all of whom squawked with fright, casting brilliantly colored feathers everywhere. They alighted atop of branches, barking out in unison, preening and complaining as the man's attention was caught by some moving brushes, flowerheads closing up with caution.

"Did you give him a translator?"

"It's on."

"Hey! _Asshole_! Don't wander off where we can't see you!" Zoro called out impatiently, Sanji turning at the sound of his voice, listening to the words form to his language in one ear. Then he gave them a thumbs-up, and continued exploring, shouting out with glee and disgust with whatever he found.

Zoro squinted in that direction. "It's like having Luffy, but…not."

"Eloquently put. I imagine that this is his first time being outside in years," Law commented, looking in that direction with some amusement. He tried to imagine expressing that much joy and curiosity as the person he was now, and couldn't find it in himself to be so open with his emotions. As curious as he was about the planet, he couldn't afford any other attention to it – he was still apprehensive about the Vinsmokes finding them, and the damage caused to Merry to get them out of there. Those were important things.

Zoro reached up to scratch behind his own ears, muttering, "Maybe we should've put him on a leash, just in case."

Law looked, wondering if he were serious. When he realized that it could be either way, he said, " _Right_. Well. Merry looks fine to me, if you're asking."

"Which I wasn't." Zoro studied the ship with his arms crossed, then uncrossed them, tongue out, panting lightly. "It doesn't feel that hot, but this humidity is killing me. My fur is sticking to this shirt."

"We should find some civilization, maybe secure Merry in a secluded area. The camouflage should only do so much when we turn it on."

"Forget the 'civilization' thing. We don't need to interact with anyone out here. Nami said it was a pirate hangout, pretty much everyone for themselves in that route. If that guy told his dad what was up, they're going to do more than put out wanted posters."

"I doubt it, Mr. Roronoa. It was so much of a secret that Yonji clearly displayed confusion and shock over Sanji's lack of dying on a supposed explosion in the Red Sea. He was quite traumatized by the fact that he was living 'underneath them' this entire time."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"I don't think they'll publicly cast the bait if they tried to keep him a secret. But I have no doubt that our pictures will be out there."

Zoro exhaled heavily. "Which worries me, because my handsome mug will bring all the boys to the yard."

Law had to look at him to see if he were being serious, but that expression of Zoro's said absolutely nothing to him. He tried to take it humorously, but he was afraid that Zoro was being serious, and didn't want to create a social faux paus. So he left it alone, biting his lower lip with concentration.

"Look, let's do an exploration of this place around Merry. Find something edible."

"If you are suggesting that we split up, I refuse. Nami has warned me never to let you wander off out my sight, for fear of you getting lost."

Zoro grit his teeth. "I get lost _one_ time - !"

"Shanghi? Boston? Wales? To'hste. Morgan's Den."

"Morgan's Den is a fucking supermarket."

"Where Bepo could not find you."

"FINE!"

"It doesn't bother me if you wander off, but I want to remind you, I'm not that much of a fighter, so if we're hit by those men in retaliation, I will surely die –"

"You are such a scaredy cat!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Look, guy, since we're here, let's use this time to spar."

Law gave him an insulted look. "Once again, I will _die_ – "

"I will go light on you!"

"Your version of 'going light' is much different from my version."

"If I _go light_ on you, anyway, that's not teaching you anything!" Huffing, Zoro withdrew one of his swords.

" _Now_?"

" _Now_ , you bastard! Draw!"

"I thought we had to go and find food, shelter, fresh water – "

"Do you want to at least give effort into _not_ dying, or do you want to prolong it?"

Law bit his bottom lip lightly. "That's equally the same thing, so I'm not sure what you're trying to get at -"

"Just fight me, you bastard."

Exhaling heavily through his nose, Law considered their surroundings, watched Sanji attempt to climb a nearby tree. The entire thing shook with distress, casting leaves everywhere. A strange animal screamed in the distance. When the sun was briefly darkened, he looked up to see clouds curling by, like waves of a vast sea.

Then he drew his sword, looking at Zoro with hesitation. Zoro faced him, then stepped forward, causing Law to react, and they exchanged several blows before Zoro used a single twist and turn to knock his sword right out of his hands, back of the blade up against his neck.

"Where the fuck did you learn to handle your weapon?" Zoro asked in exasperation. "That was pitiful."

"I didn't have that much time or experience with it before I came across you guys," Law muttered, walking off to retrieve his sword.

Zoro looked after him, shaking his head as his tail slashed through the air with his contemplation. Law, despite his tattoos, his sleepless eyes and intense expression was nothing like the presentation he tried to give. He was too book proper, and he walked with a slight hunch, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. Nervous, tail twitching with anxiety. Zoro knew if he made a loud sound, the guy would probably attempt to climb a nearby tree. He decided to save that moment for later, just for shits and giggles.

"You were _pampered_ your entire life. So why chose the sword?"

"Because," Law answered, straightening up and preparing to fend off Zoro's attacks, "you don't need to reload."

" _Nice_."

Both of them charged again, and Law did what he could to keep Zoro from advancing on him, intending on using his sword's longer length to keep him from getting any closer. But despite his size, Zoro was able to inch in, to use the hilt of his weapon to catch Law's and toss it overhead, elbowing the taller man in the armpit.

" _OW_."

"Better that then being dead."

"It's like you're not even moving as much as I am," Law complained, rubbing the spot tenderly, lowering his sword as Zoro took a few steps back.

"You're overexerting yourself. You're tense. You have to think of the sword as a part of your arm. But I can see where you suck because you can't even fight with your hands."

"Oh, bother..."

"Look, hold it up. See? Adjust your grip – this is where your claws get in the way. You can't do it, can you?"

"I see."

"Anyway, one hand here, and the other there. Don't cross your thumb over your fingers, adjust it over. _Yes_. Now, perform a downward swing. Good. Do that fifty times."

"Why?"

"Because your form sucks, and you need to train your muscle to take it. Feet spread further apart, you're standing like you've got a load in your pants. Where did you get your lessons from? Some vendor on the street?"

"I – "

"Squat at the knees a little more. You want to distribute your weight evenly as you swing. Don't lift too high, that's another move entirely. Straighten your goddamn shoulders, stop hunching them. Are you afraid of your height?"

"No!"

"Then _use_ it, goddamn it!"

Self-consciously, Law followed his instructions. He felt awkward with the movement, scrunching up his face, and then caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye. Sanji was standing nearby, watching them with some worry. Zoro saw him as well, waving him over. He walked over with hesitation, shoulders pulled up, which reminded Law that he could fix the man, now, so he lowered his sword.

"I didn't say you can stop!" Zoro snapped at him. "That was only fourteen. Do fifty."

"Now that we have the time, I can fix him – "

" _After_ we're done here. Obviously, we're not going anywhere. And if I'm going to be stuck here with you two, then I need to teach you how _not_ to die. You can die somewhere else with all your unmanliness, but if you're with me, you need to die like a man. Got it?"

Law made a face, tail flicking. "That is _absurd_ – "

"You have no fight instincts in you, and you let that guy punch you in the face. That pretty much says it all. Keep. _Going_."

After a few moments, Law rolled his eyes. He reset himself, and followed through with the movements.

" _Basics_ , bitch."

"You call me a bitch _one more time_ \- !"

Zoro looked over at Sanji, who was watching and listening to the entire thing with an expression of trepidation. "What's your problem?"

"Mm." Sanji looked as if he were struggling with something, watching Law move through the simple kata with an expression of frustration. Then he looked at Zoro, who looked relaxed, sword sheathed and arms crossed over his chest. But his ears were lowered and he panted lightly, canines showing as the humidity continued to press on them.

"Spit it out. You got techniques of your own to share?" Zoro asked him lightly. He then looked at Law with a scoffing expression. "Look at this guy. Running around with a sword, but he doesn't know how to use it."

"Stop judging me so scornfully, damn it!"

"Since _I'm_ the master swordsman here, I'm giving lessons for free. Mainly for my own benefit, really. It would suck to die because he doesn't know how to use it."

"You're really laying it on thick, aren't you?"

"Shoulders up, straighten them out! This form needs perfection!"

Sanji looked at him fretfully, then at Law. He was trying to judge their attitudes. Get a feel of the situation, but while Zoro spoke teasingly, Law didn't look under any duress. He was taking Zoro's advice. Their constant snapping at each other seemed only like a habit, something…friendly. None of them were coming to blows, or making each other cry.

Zoro looked at him once more. "You want a sword? Maybe I can teach you a few things?"

Sanji looked at him for several seconds, wondering if the man would force the issue or insult him. But the choice rang over him like a choice, not a demand. He shook his head ever so slightly, watching his reaction cautiously.

Zoro shrugged, not looking disappointed or angry or bothered about it. Sanji was surprised by the gesture; he'd expected the man to lash out at him, verbally and physically, for choosing not to participate in something that was to make him stronger. He could not relax, expecting Zoro to lash out when he was least expecting, and hunched his shoulders with preparation, rubbing his itchy arms.

"My arms are getting tired," Law stated.

"Because you have no muscle, string-bean."

"Is this what you had to do?"

"Every day. Anybody can swing a sword, but it takes dedication to actually know what to do with it. You can't just read about it and automatically assume you know how to use it."

Law muttered something under his breath, already sticky with sweat, straining to finish the kata. Once he did, he rolled his shoulders with weary action, reaching back with one hand to massage one side.

"That was one kata. The next will be different. Same stance. This time, you add in a lunge, and you swing overhead. Like this."

Sanji watched as Zoro demonstrated it. His form was perfect, and he executed it flawlessly. Law studied the motion, then tried it on himself. Zoro patiently reset his feet, instructed him on how to hold his sword, and then swung with him in demonstration. Once Law had it down, Zoro stepped back. Sanji was utterly amazed that there wasn't any punishment for Law not following Zoro's instructions the first time.

"Fifty of those. Each leg."

"Oh, _c'mon_ \- !"

"You want to die like an ass, you die like an ass away from me. In the meantime, _you_. Let's go find this flow of water, get some for the ship."

"Don't overexert him. He will tire very easily in that condition."

"He'll be _fine_ , stop babying him," Zoro scoffed, waving at him. "Don't drop your shoulders! Lunge correctly, sharper angle! Let's go, Asshole."

Sanji followed after him, looking back at Law with worry as he concentrated on the movement, muttering, "On each leg?"

"That's it?" he asked Zoro.

"It's up to him if he wants to be a better fighter," Zoro said. "The only person that gets cheated out of the deal is himself."

"But you didn't hurt him. _So_. How will he learn?"

"Look, I'm tough, but I'm not about doling out abuse because it's not learned right the first time. All it takes is patience and corrections, and, like I said, it's up to the person. Got it?"

"It doesn't make sense," Zoro thought he heard Sanji mutter, looking bewildered.

By the time the temperatures began to cool significantly, a different set of stars shining brilliantly before the sun began to lower into the mountains in the distance, Law finished his last kata. He panted heavily, wiping his face with his shirt, his arms sore and tingly. His legs didn't feel that much better, either. He looked around himself, wondering where Zoro and Sanji were. He managed to sheathe his sword, wincing at the soreness he felt with the action, then wandered around the tree line, listening for the pair. He started to worry, remembering Zoro's horrible internal compass, when he heard movement to his left. He winced again as he reached for his sword, dropped that arm, and prepared to create a Room instead.

It was Sanji, and he looked exhausted, feet dragging, knees barely bending. He was pulling a water bottle behind him, and Law hurried over to help him, seeing that he'd dragged it through grass that was blearily straightening up from the action. He looked beyond them to see that the river wasn't more than twenty feet away from them.

"Where's Zoro?"

Sanji shrugged. "He was here. He said to go. He'll be right here."

Law looked back at the river, then back at Merry. He refused to believe that the man could get lost that easily.

"Mr Roronoa! Can you hear me?" he called out. Something screamed heavily overhead, a flutter of wings causing both him and Sanji to duck in reaction. Scanning the darkening skies, Law had no idea what it was that caused such a disruption, as nothing was there. Then he listened for Zoro, tail slashing behind him. Even Sanji looked bewildered, scratching at his arms listlessly.

With a frown and a shake of his head, Law looked at Sanji, bending to pick up the water bottle. It was only two gallons, but he'd tied some type of vine around it and was pulling it with all the effort he had left.

"Come. You can rest, I'll go find that idiot," Law told him, Sanji dragging his feet along behind him.

Law pulled his bed from the wall, asked Merry for the use of the heater, and before he could turn around to tell Sanji that he'd heat dinner, Sanji was asleep, having flopped onto the cot without a sound. Law put the water away, then pulled Sanji into a proper position onto the cot, pulling the blanket over him. He then returned to the cargo bay doors and stood on the ramp, scanning all directions for Zoro.

By the time night had fully fallen, the temperatures were below thirty degrees, and frost was building up on Merry. There were creatures with strange, high pitched screams circling the area. Law was starting to get worried when he heard the heavy panting of a man in motion. Zoro finally reappeared from the front of the ship, but it looked like he was in some type of mud-bath.

"I fell in," he said by way of explanation, holding up a couple of fish.

" _Where_? On some other planet?"

"Don't over exaggerate the situation. I was just a few feet away from Merry."

"You're such a _liar_."

"Where's the kid?"

"He's been asleep this entire time."

"Did you finish your kata?" Zoro asked, lifting the ramp behind them as Merry assured them she was closing the doors.

"Yes."

Zoro reached up to slap him upside the head, and Law made to block, but his hand stopped midway, so Zoro caught the action, grinning with his reaction. " _Good_!"

"This isn't good! If I can't lift my fucking arms, how am I supposed to do anything?"

"We'll figure it out, you big baby. God, you're such a pampered princess."

"Stop calling me that!"

" _Yowling_ , again."

: :

In the morning, Law was the first to wake. Zoro was snoring loudly on his cot, and Sanji was on the floor again, curled up in a fetal position underneath his bed. Law made sure he had his blanket on him, then stretched painfully, complaining about his shoulders and arms. He went into the kitchen, reheated the food from last night, and added an extra serving to Sanji's tray. He glanced at the fish that Zoro had left in the refrigerator, wondering how to cook it. Then made some coffee, some tea.

By the time the other two were seated at the table, Sanji stuffing his cheeks full while Zoro snored at his seat, Nami had reappeared in full form nearby.

"Codes are cleared!" she said cheerily, then looked at Zoro with disgust. She was blue again, with brilliant blue lips, diamonds in her long hair, and with a string bikini on her lower half. The upper half was covered by a cowl-style scarf, but her breasts swung freely underneath it as she moved about.

Law looked at Sanji to see if he'd have a reaction to the hologram, but he was focused on his food, glancing up occasionally to see where the others were with theirs.

"Merry is in relatively good shape," Nami noticed, looking around herself. "Temperatures are dangerous, I see. That Water Mite is still here, so if the others reach you, hopefully you all aren't poisoned or dying."

"We're fine. Zoro and Sanji bottled water yesterday. I ran some tests on it, and it's absolutely fresh. No chemicals."

"I wonder why no one's scooped this planet up, yet. It's absolutely _beautiful_! Oxygen levels are perfect – maybe a little too humid for my taste. So, Sanji," she said, leaning against the table, Zoro snorting himself awake at that moment, "how did you feel seeing your brother again? Or did you guys already talk about this sort of thing?"

"Why should we? We were busy exploring," Zoro said with disgust, reaching for his tea.

"It never occurred to me to ask his feelings and thoughts on the situation," Law confessed.

"I understand that it's taboo for men to discuss their feelings openly between each other, without the fear of feeling 'gay' about it, but you guys, Sanji's a different breed. He has been by himself all these years. Don't you think encouraging him to talk and get to know his emotions and thoughts on the matter is a little helpful? Maybe he forgot how to interact with others. Maybe he's socially awkward. Maybe he doesn't think that he's being appropriate or inappropriate."

"He's _fine_!' Zoro scoffed, looking at his food. "If he has a question, he'll ask!"

"So, what did he ask yesterday? Did you tell him where we are? Did you tell him that he'll have to help you on planet exploratory duties? Or did you just hand him one of your swords and say, 'good'?"

"Well, if we want to get that descriptive…"

"We'll do a little better with social conditioning," Law assured her. "As it is, he seems to have some manners. He was busy enjoying the outdoors – "

"Climbing trees, skinning knees, like boys should do at his age."

"He's not a kid, Zoro, you ass. He's your age," Nami snapped at him.

"He's _like_ a kid."

"But as we wait for the others, we'll find out what he feels about the situation we'd left behind, get a little more information from him," Law continued, looking at Zoro with annoyance.

"Listen to me, Sanji," Nami said, getting his attention. "You will not fart in public and call it 'good'. You will not pick your nose in public and think it's acceptable. You will not adjust your goddamn balls in front of women, and think it's fine. You will also say 'please' when you want something, and 'thank you' when you get it. Is this understood?"

After the translation ran through his ear, Sanji nodded.

"Why are you taking away men's rights to live?" Zoro asked. "And a man can't _help_ but adjust his balls, especially when it's hot."

"Just. Don't. Do. It. In. Front. Of. Women."

"Don't make eye contact while you're doing it, and you'll be fine," Zoro assured him.

"You are one of the worst ones!" Nami huffed, straightening up. "Law. I trust this to be in your hands. You seem to be, out of all of them, well versed in manners."

"He's the _worst_ one out of all of us!" Zoro complained. "He's an artist in the silent but deadly bombs in the office."

"Oh, Jesus…that explains it…" Nami rubbed her forehead as both of them suddenly laughed, Sanji confused by their responses. "Look, Sanji, if you come from a background of royalty, please understand that proper manners is important. You _were_ versed in proper manners, right?"

He looked uncomfortable, frowning down at his empty tray. When he began licking it clean, Nami stomped her foot. "That is not _acceptable_! Stop that! Don't let this happen, you two! Think of how embarrassed he'd be later on when he does this in public! In a _restaurant_!"

"Yeah, let's not do this anymore," Law said, taking the tray from him, Sanji looking embarrassed by Nami's outraged tone.

"Oh, good, it looks like he has some level of modesty. I have some hope for him, yet. Well? Sanji?"

"So. To…manners, behave acceptably, then pick up habits I learned from home?" Sanji asked slowly, concentrating on the task. He then looked uncomfortable. "But, I don't want to."

"Why not? Didn't you learn how to drink, eat and shit like a royal? I mean, it's a different class act than what you're seeing now, right?"

"Mm, but that would mean…being mean. To those that are… _not_ high class. To be treated… _better_. And…not do, tasks. Like, carry water? And – being able to play outside. To look and appreciate things. That…is not proper. So. I would rather _not_ be proper."

"There. That's what he wants," Zoro said to Nami. "Stop pushing it. If he wants to act like a kid, let him act like a kid."

"Yesterday, during the confrontation, Yonji was outraged by his mannerisms," Law said. "Sanji thanked us for taking care of him, and Yonji was angered for lowering himself to do so. So, I feel that if he doesn't want to follow his learned ways of 'proper mannerism', he shouldn't have to. He'll learn as he goes what's acceptable and what's not."

"But I don't like the fact that it's you two he's learning from, and when Luffy gets there, it's going to be terrible!"

"Ah, well…it's too bad you didn't come along with them, otherwise, we don't have to do what you say," Zoro said. "In the meantime, he's being dropped off by Zeff, anyway, Zeff can do all that stuff."

"Um, but…Yonji. He was strong. Stronger than Zeff," Sanji said slowly, looking troubled. "Stronger than either of you. So. I think that…that maybe I'm trouble for Zeff."

The three of them looked at him sharply.

"Zeff, he is older. _Much_ older. And, I feel, he will be hurt. Because they know. Yonji will tell others – but…he didn't know I was alive. And…if he tells others, I'm sure they will be shocked. Like him. Except for Niji. And Ichiji. Ichiji, he – killed my rat friends, giving them food that was poisoned…from the kitchen. And then Niji, he knows how to be worse…so, I feel that if they are older, and Zeff is older, then they will hurt him. Worse. So, I feel, maybe I shouldn't go to Zeff."

"You're really scared of them, aren't you?"

"Not scared _of_ them," Sanji corrected Zoro firmly. "I know what they do to others just to make me feel bad."

"Well, we're not rats."

"But Yonji beat you up."

Nami tittered, hand against her mouth. "Oh, ho ho ho hoho!"

"SHUT UP, WITCH."

"And he's youngest, but – he's strong, but he always does what they tell him because he wants to please. So they don't beat him up. And Reiju, she…is my sister. And is, hmm, not strong like our brothers. So she does what they say, too."

"Like, physically strong? Because she was accused of pretty heinous things, too, involving her strength," Nami said. "The Vinsmokes are one of the most feared families in space, Sanji."

He shook his head. "My sister did what she could to be safe in a cage. So. I can always forgive her. I feel she was the robot. Because, always, she would be there to help me when they were gone."

"But your entire kingdom was convinced that you died on the Red Sea," Nami pointed out.

"Except for father. Yonji – he didn't know. Nichiij and Ichiji knew until father decided that I couldn't be better, so they no longer – and no one came down, anymore. Father was shamed, and this was considered weak, so it would be weak for the others to continue thinking that I could change."

" _Ah_ ," Nami muttered, hand over her left breast, looking troubled.

"So. I feel that I shouldn't go to Zeff. I feel that it would be fine if I go ahead, on my own. To avoid having my friends hurt, or dead. Because you are my friends," Sanji assured Law and Zoro with a positive nod of his head.

Nami's eyes widened significantly. "Guys…if Luffy gets into contact with him, he's not going to let him go."

"Luffy's the boss of us, not you," Zoro said snottily.

"I will step on your tail when you come back, you Dumb Ass Tiger!"

"We may have had our asses kicked yesterday, but I'm sure that was a good lesson to us," Law told Sanji. "It lowered Roronoa's ego several notches, and showed me what I needed to do to better myself."

"There's a lot of work, there," Zoro complained.

"But this group, we're not rats. When you meet the others, you will feel a little more confident in their abilities."

"Zeff is an old man, I can't – "

"He wants to see you, Sanji," Nami said gently. "I feel that you should at least see him. He is willing to risk his life just to make sure you're okay. He believed your father when he said you were dead. It would make him feel better to be able to see you in person. He's already on his way to the meeting point, so we're going to take you there. Whatever happens at that point is something I can't guarantee."

"More than likely, Luffy will decide something stupid," Zoro said, eating the last of his rice ball before pushing the tray over to Sanji to finish what was left.

"The Germa Empire isn't some random dojo, or rival company, Zoro! It's an entire _kingdom_! With advanced technology, and superpowered humans, and - !"

"Ah, so what? Calm down. You're making this tea taste bad. Either that or Law can't brew tea, either. Must've had his servants do this for him."

"You're starting this early, today, tiger," Law said with warning.

"If anyone has any idea of how royalty works, it's him, too, Nami."

Nami crossed her arms thoughtfully, looking at Law. "We don't know that much about you, to be honest. Zoro might be onto something."

"I'm not."

"Usually people expand on their lies, not just let them go."

"They usually do."

Nami frowned crossly at him, then looked at Zoro, who shrugged. "This is what I have to deal with. I think I deserve a bonus."

"Har. Okay, well, continue doing what you're doing, boys. So far, I've heard nothing on the radar from the Germa Kingdom, and haven't experienced any other weirdness in our walls. But that's not to say that they haven't given up on us. Stay on alert. The Sunny should be getting to you, soon. They're in hyperspace now, so I can't pinpoint their exact location. Just stay safe. And I'll tell Zeff what you're feeling, so…just think about it a little more, okay?"

Sanji looked uncertain, running his fingers thoughtfully over his own face, but he said nothing more.

Nami said, "So, on that note, tell us. What did you feel about seeing your brother, again?"

"Um…sad. But more mad….in between that."

"So, he makes you feel sad? And mad? Why? Does he scare you?"

"No. Because…I am… _this_ ," Sanji said, gesturing at himself, touching his bony wrists, and then his hair with some dejection before adding, "and it does nothing to him. He's bigger. Heavier. And when I hit him, it still didn't do anything to him. Even when we were kids, he was stronger, but…I had always thought I would have a better chance if I were bigger. And…I'm not. So, I feel sad."

"But instead of crying about it, it makes you want to better yourself, right?" Zoro asked, scanning the area, wondering if he'd missed a hiding place for another bottle of booze.

" _Yes_ ," Sanji said with a nod. "I will grow big. So that when he punches me again, it won't hurt so much."

"Unfortunately, due to severe malnutrition, you will not grow any bigger than you are, now, but you _are_ capable of putting on weight and muscle with a healthy diet," Law said. "I also think that Nami will allow me the use of our regenerator to fix your bone density and your teeth. I, myself, can fix your spine before I put you in there, to straighten you to full height. It looks like after that, you'll be as tall as Mr Roronoa, here."

"Not as manly, though," Zoro muttered, giving Sanji a side-eye.

"I thought so," Sanji muttered, looking at his hands. "Father told me I failed him, because I wasn't like the others. I had hoped that it would be different when I was released, but I guess not."

"What do you mean, 'failed'?" Nami asked curiously. "As in, failed as a human being, or at things in general, or…?"

With a frustrated expression, Sanji said, "I could not keep up with the others. They were faster, stronger, and…mean. And I was not."

"But you need to accept that you're not a failure. If anything, if you _aren't_ like them, then you're a fucking success story, and the _only_ success story because everyone _hates_ the Germa Empire. Everyone out of there are modified through impressive science experiments, and enhanced unnaturally through the use of chemicals and machines," Nami stated slowly. "And there is no advantage over other human beings in being mean. I can comfortably say, that out of all of us here with One Piece _, I_ am the one that's mean, here. But I'm mean for a reason – all of the guys I pay are absolute idiots with complexes."

Sanji looked at her skeptically. "I haven't seen you be mean to any of them."

"And that should tell you something, here. We're not like your family, or the Germa Empire. None of us will hurt you, or talk down to you. I'm sure you've heard enough of these two to know that they tease and talk down to each other, but I assure you, we're not like your family. All I ask is that you follow the rules I'd stated earlier."

"But if that's so, then you're all weak," Sanji stated carefully. "And I saw Yonji hurt them easily. Out of us, Yonji is strong, but he isn't that clever. Nichiji is strong and clever, and Ichiji is…different. He doesn't always have to touch to hurt. And Reiju should not be discounted, because she is tricky. And father is the strongest one of all. I fear more for all of you than I fear what they can do to me. I am used to it. I just feel that, like everything I've felt good about, they will take it away so that they can make me feel bad. And so, I don't want to feel good for anything, anymore."

Nami stood back with pursed lips.

She stood back, looking at the catmen that looked at him skeptically, before looking at her for her reaction.

"Well, sorry to break it to you, buddy, but you have no choice in this matter. It's pretty much decided that you've been adopted into our group. And once Luffy gets there, you won't have any choice to make at all, because he will make it for you."

"It doesn't make me feel good," Sanji muttered. "Because they will find a way to make you all pay for…"

"Then that's on us," Zoro said. "Because Law told me we had to go get you, and I don't usually listen to him, but I did this time."

"I did not – _fine_. On that note, it was _our_ choice to go and retrieve you from your brother, so this is _our_ choice to delve into the matter," Law said, drumming his claws atop of the table before Zoro looked pointedly at them, chewing on his own. "It wasn't yours. So if anything happens, don't feel guilty for the choices that we make."

"That's impossible," Sanji mumbled, looking at his hands. "I'm not worth your deaths. There is nothing of value to me. Father said I was a waste – "

"I think it's up to us how we think of you!" Nami snapped loudly. "Don't ever presume that we think the same as your father! We're not like your family! And you're giving us even more reason to hate them! If you were considered a 'failure' to them because you're, dare I say it, _compassionate_ , then you're a success to us!"

But Sanji looked unconvinced, growing contrite about their insistence. "You don't know anything," was all he had to say, fiddling nervously with the bug bites on his skin.

Heaving a sigh, Nami looked at Zoro and Law pointedly. "I leave this to both of you to clean up. Law, you may use the regenerator. I've sent some essentials along with those dopes on their way – please find out why he keeps scratching himself. Teach him how to groom himself. You know. Essential _man_ stuff. I suspect with all that time down wherever he was, he doesn't know how to behave properly, and I'd rather _you_ guys were the main influencers, and not Luffy, who thinks it's hilarious to pee in the back yard."

"I never even thought of it like that," Zoro said, looking surprised. "Just looking at him, he looks capable of just…y'know…knowing stuff."

"Without human contact for those years, of course he'd need some guidance. But just how much?" Law asked, suddenly curious.

"I can see you two look like you'll have fun with it. _Don't_ teach him anything stupid," she said, disappearing.

Both of them looked at each other. Zoro looked a little cheered at taking on a pupil, while Law looked a little more anxious. Sanji had no idea what was ahead of him, scratching nervously at his head.

"It'll be just like having an open-minded kid brother!"

"Or a failure upon realizing that everything you have to teach is utterly useless."

"Then you are banned from any further instruction. Leave it to me."

Law indicated with a wave of his hand to be his guest.

"C'mon, kid! Let's go outside! And _you_! I've more kata for you to follow while I build this man's pliant mind up with _knowledge_ ," Zoro said with a grin, rising up from the table.

Law was pretty sure that was a bad idea, looking at Sanji skeptically, then at Zoro, sure that this was a huge mistake.


	7. Hunger

**A/N: I need to see more Zoro and Law interaction because there isn't enough of it. I'm sure i'm brutalizing it HAHA**

 **Thank you for all the awesome reviews! I'm still not sure where the pairing is hiding. I've been tearing my house apart looking for clues. I'm going to just sit back and watch for it. Maybe it'll emerge, then. ; )**

 **7: Hunger**

The day shifted on without much fanfare. Zoro pushed Law through some other kata, then made him repeat the exercises from yesterday. Sanji wandered off, exploring everything with fascinated eyes and his mouth open half the time. He sat for some time at the river, listening to them spar – he stared up at the sky with the shifting clouds, utterly fascinated by the shapes they took. He watched fish flutter underneath the cool waters of the river, shuffling along the bottom, hiding behind moss and cool grey rocks. He listened to the sounds of birds barking, flowers squeaking. The humidity made him sweat, but it wasn't as bothersome to him as it was to the other two. He watched a green lizard sun itself on some rocks across the river, pushing itself up and down, tongue flicking out absently.

He was in awe of this world. All the colors, the noises, the general activity of it. He couldn't seem to take it all in at once, and his head pounded with a headache, eyes straining under the brightness of the sun. A large bird arched through the sky, giving off a light screech that caused the fish to jump. He watched them flick above the water with wild movement, scales glittering in the open air. He ended up touching the water with his bare feet, and their curious mouths found his toes, nibbling delicately.

This world was so different from Germa. There, the waters ran red from some sort of chemical imbalance. The sky was dark from pollution, but the cities were stark grey, pushing up from the earth in high rise metal monstrosities. Sometimes, they wore face masks against the thick fog of pollution that rolled in, caught in the streets. Sometimes, he couldn't see the sky. He looked up at it now, in awe of its beauty. The bold blue, the careless grey and white of the rolling clouds – the smell of fresh air that made him inhale deeply, letting it fill his chest. When he exhaled, he felt his heart beat that much faster. He lifted his foot from the water, watching it drip from his flesh in sparkling action, fish scattering hastily. He leaned over, scooping up mouthfuls, tasting the crisp weight of it, filling his sore cheeks and dry tongue, earning a sound of pleasure from it. It was so much different from the recycled water that had splashed down at the end of his cell, where trash from the kitchen made its way to the castle trash barge.

The bars of the cell had been rusty brown, and when light occasionally found its way through the thick darkness of the area, it was in the form of a security drone that routinely patrolled the tunnels. Occasionally, when his father dumped his prisoners, they'd cry and moan in pain or torture from earlier treatment, and he'd listen to their dying noises, the rats squeaking around him with anxious action.

The rodents would bring him pieces of warm meat, and he never questioned the metallic taste, the fatty squish of substance, too grateful to eat something that wasn't rotted or shriveled. He lost himself in the memory of those moments, watching the fish swirl and swish lazily in the crisp, cool water. His mouth watered, and his hunger returned.

But before he could get up and go look for something, the two men were on their way over. He watched them with interest – he'd never seen men like them, before. Their animal characteristics were so fascinating, and they were unlike men he'd ever known, before. They weren't violent or angry or eager to prove their masculinity in ways that he was used to. Both of them were just… _calm_. Comfortable with themselves, with their surroundings, and they walked without a mean bone in their strut. Zoro walked with a slow, aimless pace, like he couldn't be bothered with anything, and Law's strides were long and slow, like he was just aiming to get somewhere without being interrupted, but he made it look so leisurely – Sanji couldn't describe it.

Their tails were indicative of their moods, Sanji had learned – Zoro's was either wrapped around his waist, or curled over one arm that rested on one hip or pocket, and Law's twitched and stiffened, occasionally curling lightly around his own thigh. Both of them had canines that peeked shyly from behind their ridiculously full upper lips, and Sanji wondered why he noticed that a lot. Both of them had bright eyes with vertical pupils that expanded or narrowed with their facial expressions, and he couldn't help but be completely captivated by their unusual shapes.

Their hands were long and their fingers narrow, ending in claws that were extended an inch from their fingertips. Zoro's was chewed ragged, and Law's were neat curls with sharp points, and Sanji would watch them scratch themselves idly – behind their ears, grooming their hair or tails, picking small things up with callused fingerpads that felt rough and hard under his touch the other night. He noticed their hands mostly because he was waiting for them to turn into fists, to move towards him. But when Law touched him, he was mindful with his claws, and Zoro's was a rough grasp on his shoulder or arm, ruffling his hair with unintended ferocity.

He noticed that Zoro was removing his shirt, revealing an ugly scar over a ridiculously muscled chest. Here was where Sanji froze, having never seen another man's bared skin, before. It was different when he was a child, and he saw his brothers, but the clones were never seen without their shirts, and he'd never see his father without his, either. But seeing Zoro bare himself like this – this was different. So his eyes widened with curiosity, taking in the shape of his pecs, the dangerous definition of his abs and obliques. It was almost as if he were looking at raised pads of tanned flesh, and he wondered what they felt like. If they were hard, like the feel of Sanji's own bones, or if they were soft, like the tops of his thighs. Everything moved with a tight bounce, as if the muscle were going to shift out of place but quickly held on by a change of mind.

When he tossed the shirt onto the rock Sanji sat on, his back was decorated with stripes of light black fur, similar to that of his tail. They began at the sides of his neck, stretched over the thick muscle of his shoulders, and connected over his spine. The lines of fur merged in careful clumps down his spine, where it ended at the base of his tail. Sanji's palms itched to feel it, utterly wondrous; if it felt like hair, or actual fur. When he'd touched their ears, they'd felt softer than a rat's back.

When Law removed his shirt, his skin was equally as fascinating, because he was so many different colors. Most of him was a little darker than Zoro, but there were patches of white here and there, like delicate puddles. They were stark white underneath the black lines of his tattoos, which covered most of his chest and back. While Zoro was thick with strength and fleshy power, Law was lean and tight, and while less in mass, he carried the same attributes of muscle. There were lines that defined his hips, that stretched over his sides, and Sanji could see why Nami called him 'mangy'. It had to be because of the discoloration. His black fur lined down the length of his spine, lighter in consistency, sparse in the tattooed areas, gold in the white.

Both of them stripped down to nothing and glided into the river with shouts of surprise and delight over the coolness of it, a stark contrast to the humidity. It wasn't that deep, Zoro was wading in it last night, but when he straightened up in the center of it, the water reached just below his hips, showing off dark green curls near his dick. He roared with the chill of the water, but he was also happy in it, splashing and wiping sweat from his slick skin. His fur was ruffled, and his tail hung over the crook of his left arm.

Law was more subdued than Zoro, crouching down in shin-deep water. He glared at the rock formations around the river, examining the moss suspiciously, but his ears flattened slightly, and he relaxed with a careful seat in the soft dirt. His tail floated behind him, patting the surface whenever he moved, but he looked relaxed and contemplative as he let rested back on his hands. He didn't go in too far, preferring to stay rooted to the shallow waters of the river's bank, so his spindly legs and darkly furred crotch was in full view of them all.

Sanji sat on the rock, frozen by the unfamiliar feelings in him, just watching them. He was utterly fascinated with their bodies, by their manly forms, by the casual ways their individual beauty was put on display. Zoro was underneath the water, diving for fish, and Law looked around himself with a tired expression, tail slapping the surface of the water with repetitive action. He looked over at Sanji with a light frown.

"You okay?" he asked with concern, drawing his legs in to rest his hands on his nearly crossed ankles.

"Mm hmm."

Sanji felt like he was sweating, but he didn't feel hot. It was something inside of him that bubbled and blistered, and it all seemed to pool uncomfortably in a place he never really paid attention to. His _thing_ was half hard and nothing felt good about it. He felt shame and guilt because he'd never reacted the way he was, and everything about it didn't feel right. He wasn't even sure how to explain it, the uncomfortable pain making no sense. So he kept his knees up, feeling sweat build up around his hairline, and his throat felt uncomfortably tight.

Zoro was out of the water, holding up a fish that wiggled fiercely in one hand. Neither of the men felt any shame in the display of their bodies, and Sanji wasn't sure why he felt that they should. He'd just never seen men like them look so utterly comfortable with themselves around each other. He wanted to adjust his pants, but he felt he'd draw too much attention to the wrongness that happened because he was watching them. Guilt made his stomach twist and churn, and his chest felt tight. He didn't know why his body did this to him – it never did before, not at the sight of naked men.

"Snack time," Zoro said, wading out from the deep, all muscle and power with casual action, tail held straight up. "I'm going to go get a fire started. We can roast these right here."

"I'll go find the matches, you'll get lost from here to there," Law complained, rising up to do so, using the rock Sanji sat on the steady himself. Sanji found himself looking at Law's ass, the shapely globes all rounded and dimpled on the sides. He found himself tilting his head as that black tail lifted, dripping wet, and while Sanji could see that it was somehow connected to his spine, he thought it looked odd that there wasn't an asshole right where the base of the tail was. Much like a rat's. The furry appendage was settled just an inch above his ass crack, but…

Zoro dropped the fish as Law's yowling screech rang out over the entire area, causing birds to take flight, fish to jump, flowers shrieking out in surprise. He looked over with a startled expression as Law snatched his tail around himself, sputtered, and fell into the river with such an unmanly screech, that Zoro ended up laughing. The catman scratched his way back up to standing, giving Sanji such a startled look of horror that Sanji looked back at him with fright.

"DON'T TOUCH ME THERE!"

"Oh, ho ho hoho ho!" Zoro laughed, Law's usually deep voice unnaturally shrilly. His own tail snapping, he guessed what had happened as Law clutched his tail and walked away to the shore in such a demure manner that he nearly tripped over their discarded clothes and boots.

"Where do you poop?" Sanji asked curiously.

"It's not _funny_!" Law snarled at Zoro, who laughed even harder. "I'll be right back!"

"Look, kid, you just committed a huge taboo," Zoro said, waving him off as he walked back into the water, Sanji looking at him with a startled expression. "Don't touch asses."

"I know you don't, but…you're so new to me. So, I just _looked_ to see if – "

"Look at us. We're almost like you, but we got extras. We pretty much do everything that you do, if not better," Zoro added with a smug expression. "There are no complaints. We've got more stamina than human men, we're more ferocious in battle, and there's no lack of, ahem, prowess."

"I don't know what 'prowess' means, but I think you're just saying you're stronger," Sanji said slowly, pulling his knees in close as the uncomfortable feeling grew worse at Zoro's nearness.

He watched as beads of water dripped from his hair to dribble over his chest, collecting briefly over one dusky brown nipple, then falling back to the river. He wanted to reach out and touch those pudgy rolls of muscle, just to test the consistency of them. To see if they were hard or soft. The soft 'v' of his hips looked as if they'd catch on the waistband of his pants, spill out over his underwear. His ass was thicker than Law's, rounder, his legs roped with muscle that bulged with each movement. So unlike Sanji's own legs, which were skeletal, narrow, currently quivering with the unfamiliar warmth at his crotch.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. But you don't go around touching other people's asses, unless they say it's okay," Zoro added with a shrug. "Some people like that sort of thing. I'm guessing that ninny doesn't. I'd never heard a catman screech like that, before."

"I didn't mean to startle him. It's just…your…is it like hair? Or…"

Zoro showed him his back, fur matted and wet. "Go ahead, feel me up. But you touch my tail, I will slaughter you where you sit."

Cautiously, Sanji reached out and placed his hand over the stripes at Zoro's neck. It felt like soft, downy hair – not fur. Eyes wide, he drew his fingers over the short width, tracing the line of connection over his spine. Then touched the thick muscle at his neck, the trapezius muscle that spread like thick wings from his spine.

"My _fur_ , not my skin," Zoro said with a faint start, pulling away from him.

"I just…never seen…every man I knew wore shirts," Sanji said vaguely, looking at his hand as it tingled. "I've never…"

Zoro looked at him with a frown, then shrugged. "I guess that's new. Get used to it around us. When you see Franky, it's going to be a little different for you, I think. He's got no shame."

"You both are walking around…naked."

"It's no problem between us, but around Luffy, we cover up. Nami, too. Nami's always talking shit, but she's always sneaking hands, too, that pervert."

"I don't…I don't look like you," Sanji said, pulling his hands up and underneath his sweaty armpits, feeling self conscious. Zoro then turned and sniffed him, making a face.

"Ugh. Get in. Wash up. I'll show you the awesome powers of underarm deodorant later."

"What's – "

"Keeps you from smelling bad. It's bad if you smell awful. Those of us with heightened senses smell everything."

"…Oh."

"C'mon. _In_. Or can you swim?"

"No. There wasn't…water. Not like –but I'm not afraid of it, it looks so nice."

"Take off your clothes, then, come on. That princess will start a fire so we can roast the fish."

"Is he really a princess?"

"No. I'm just teasing him. Take it off."

Sanji didn't feel comfortable, still aware of the discomfort that came from seeing them on display, and he slowly shook his head. Zoro rolled his eyes. "I'll turn the other way. We're going to be here awhile, it'd be weird if you just sat there and watched us."

"But…I feel… you're both so different. So I don't know how to, um…I'm staring because both of you are unlike what I've seen, before," Sanji finally managed to get out, looking relieved with speaking truthfully.

"No homo?"

"What's…what's that?"

"Well, it means no liking other men. Like, for example, saying to him," Zoro gestured at Law as he returned, giving them a cautious look as he handled a box of matches, the fish from yesterday, and some dried pieces of wood, "hey, looking high and tight. No homo."

"That sounds pretty gay," Law stated, frowning at him.

"Yeah, bad example. Hey, you look well groomed, today."

" _Thanks_."

Sanji was confused, wearing the expression as Zoro shrugged. "But liking men as in, liking to be _around_ them? Or… _liking_ them like, liking a woman?"

That. Liking them like you would like a woman. So, if I say that, it doesn't mean that I'm feeling gay."

"So, 'gay' is a feeling."

"Yes, 'gay' is a feeling. It means feeling happy, cheerful," Law said, reaching for a few sticks nearby, forming a mini-firepit surrounded by river rock and sand. "What he means is, he's not sexually attracted to another man."

"' _Sexually attracted'_ is key, here," Zoro said. "If your dick gets hard at the sight of another man, you're a homo. So, my dick does _not_ get hard looking at that Mangy Cat, so therefore, if I compliment him, I'm saying 'no homo' because he does not make me hard."

Sanji froze. His blood ran cold. He bit the inside of his cheek and felt like a failure, guilt and shame crashing into him with so much force that he felt bile at the edge of his tongue. He was pretty sure this was why his dick was hard, because all he had been doing was _looking_ at them, and the way Zoro spoke of it, it was a bad thing, so this wasn't a common thing.

"But what if he does?" he asked in a low whisper. "What do you do?"

"I don't know. Shake it off? Shit," Zoro answered, looking bothered.

Still uncomfortable, Sanji said nothing. But he didn't remove his hands and he didn't straighten out his legs. The way Zoro said things made him feel worse about his bodily reaction, and he felt too ashamed to ask more about it. The last talk he remembered having with his brothers regarding any sort of body function was their wishes to be stronger, faster. He felt uncomfortable with his body because it was reacting to the sight of two grown men that were half man and animal, and he thought about Nami's holographic form, because it was so womanly and shapely that he should feel a twitch because she was a woman.

But he felt nothing thinking about her. When he looked over at Zoro, he was diving back into the water for fish, and Law was starting a fire that made the nearby flowers cry out with fright. Their bodies were so gorgeously built, graceful, and seeing those lines at their hips, the way their muscles flexed as they moved about so casually, made his mouth dry.

He could hear his father's voice in his mind, telling him what a failure he was. Calling him 'unnatural', weak, incapable of anything great. They'd been expected to be great warriors, leaders, and he was thrown to the trash because he failed to be any of those. He lowered his hands to his thighs, cautiously easing his knees down. He wasn't as hard as before, but he needed to adjust, and he felt uncomfortable doing so because Nami said it wasn't polite to do things in public, and…

He looked over as Zoro held up his fish, looking victorious with a helplessly wiggling fish above his head. Water sluiced down his body and dribbled over heavily muscled areas, and Sanji pulled his back knees up because he couldn't help but notice how his hips rolled with each step, how his tail shook, causing his back muscles to ripple.

Law was dressing the fish with one of the kitchen knives, and his lean form was hunched casually, tail up with interest as he focused on his task. But Sanji really liked the way he stood with his hips flexed forward, the way his back arched lightly, the light movement of his chest as he breathed.

Sanji felt angry with himself. His body was betraying him again, doing something it wasn't supposed to, and he wasn't sure how to handle that. He felt it was wrong, he felt like he'd failed a test, and he could hear his father berating him for doing something that he wasn't supposed to. Sullenly, he tucked his hands under his arms, hunching over himself, looking off into the other direction.

He felt that feeling again, an ugly, hot feeling that had made a room deep underneath his ribcage. A feeling that left him burning hotly inside, that singed his bones and caused his blood to heat; the feeling that caused him to grind his teeth together, building over his expression. It caused his fingers to curl and clench, shaking with intensity. He glared over the water, feeling it burn, building with strength as the two catmen talked about how to properly roast their fish.

: :

It had been a very long time since he'd heard another human voice. The rats' squeaks and chirrs were made around him, skittering from one end of the floor to the other. The prisoner had been dumped in the cell nearly a week ago, smelling of chemicals and blood, and the guards had left him without their usual follow up. Sanji had stopped asking for help a long time ago, knowing they'd never answer.

The trash barge released a steady horn to announce its arrival, and he briefly flashed back to the time when he was alive and free, seeing the floating ship maneuver underneath the angled opening of the west wing. Not even a minute later, all the trash in the castle was released, cascading down the nearby tunnel way that fell from the ceiling and pushed past his cell. Pieces of debris fluttered and flopped over the bars of the cell from the force of the disposal, and rats scurried around, gathering immediately the food stuff that they could find. Plastic bottles rolled and toppled over the foul stench of liquids, solids that no longer had any identifying features.

He crawled quickly to it, reaching for anything that felt supple, warm, cold, anything that smelled like it could be eaten. Rats scurried around him, placing various objects of use within his reach as he shuffled forward, struggling to sit. His back was aching, today, and his legs felt like lead. The foul stench made him gag a bit, but he ate tenderly, jaw aching, and nearly threw up; but his stomach was empty, so desperate, so he crammed whatever it was into his mouth and chewed.

The trash tunnel stopped moving, doors pulling up to shut with loud clangs of metal and exhalations of joints, and the rats continued digging through the slop, eating what they could, and finding things of use for him. Across from him, a man cried, cursing the Germa Empire, and the rats abandoned their movement to run to him, squeaking.

Cries turned to outrage as the man fought them off, cursing their appearance, the animal sounds ringing out in the dungeons. Sanji said nothing to him – he'd stopped talking a long time ago to another human being. Because they either didn't answer him back, or they promised impossible things, being that they were prisoners sent down here to die for some unfathomable crime they'd done to displease his father. He sat up stiffly, forcing his legs in front of him, and listened to him shout with dismay. It was only a matter of time until he had real meat, warm and supple, and he felt that place deep inside of him burn hotly. He thought about all the warm meals they'd had as a family; all the colors, texture and hot and cold temperatures. He couldn't remember what they tasted like, but he definitely remembered what they looked like.

His stomach ached for something real, something warm, _something_ to fill the empty void in him that burned hot and angry. He pulled himself to the floor and crawled to the bars facing the wounded man. Rats scurried around him, crawling over his lap, nuzzling his hands, but he propped himself up against the bars and stared into the darkness, in the direction of the man's voice, who resumed his complaints.

It was only a matter of time before he stopped crying, and the rats could do their best to bring him warm meat.

: :

The fish tasted plain but it was a gift. Its meat was tender, and he mashed into it eagerly, chewing hard before it was pulled away from him. The loss sent him into a desperate rage, lunging after it with a growl.

"Sit down!" Zoro snarled at him, using his foot to keep him at a distance, his own mouth full. "Fool! There are bones still in this thing! It could shred your insides if you don't slow down and eat properly."

"Look," Law said, using a fork to shred the meat from the bones, and Sanji went to him instead, seeing that the man was doing it for him. He grabbed handfuls of the fatty red meat and crammed it into his mouth, chewing hard. The taste made his eyes water, made his throat eager, and his stomach jump. He swallowed just so he could grab more, tastebuds ringing in delight.

This time, his hand was caught, Law frowning at him as he sat slowly. Both of them were dressed, and the day was still bright, and Sanji had stared at the fish roasting most of the afternoon with anxious action. When Zoro had announced that it was edible, Sanji had been the first one seated there, the other two meandering around with useless actions until they finally sat.

"Here. Fork. Do as I do," Law said to him, showing him how to pull the meat from the bones.

Sanji's hand was shaking so much from the effort of obeying his instinct to fight for the fish instead, that it was difficult to hold the utensil. It had been so long since he had one, and he had to force himself to remember the exact placement of it. But he did so, and stared down at the fish in front of him. Very slowly, he pressed the tines into the meat and tugged downward.

Once he had a mouthful, Law said, "Chew very slowly. Don't just cram it in your mouth."

"Says the guy with chipmunk cheeks."

"Just savor the taste of it," Law said, ignoring Zoro's comment. "Take your time. This isn't being taken from you, and we're in no rush."

He caught the fish Zoro tossed to him, and resettled to remove the crisp skin, using Sanji's fork to start removing meat. Sanji followed his instruction, chewing awkwardly, feeling meat pass over his gums. A bone stabbed him up into the roof of his mouth, so he stopped chewing to fish it out with his fingers.

"They should be here, soon," Zoro commented, eating carefully, spitting out bones when he came to them.

"After that, we head out to see Zeff."

"So, what's this guy like, kid?" Zoro asked Sanji. "What sort of impression did he make on you?"

"He was very kind," Sanji answered slowly, lowering his fork to smile pleasantly at the memory that hadn't lost his intensity. "He was setting up for a client's birthday party, a future marriage prospect for my older brother, and he let me help him."

Zoro stared at him for a few moments. "So…you only met once."

"Twice. That day, and the next, when father wanted him to cook breakfast for the clients that were leaving, because…and I wanted to help, and he let me."

"I get the feeling there was more to the story."

"Admittedly, when father found out that Zeff had me working for him, he tried to kill him. So I snuck him out through the garbage tunnel. After that, father wouldn't let me help anybody, anymore."

"Because royals aren't supposed to?" Law asked.

"You were one, what do you think?"

"I'm not!"

"I've got a prince and a princess with me, this should be good. I'm surprised you both haven't been trying to order me around," Zoro commented, Law growling at him.

"If he were a royal, he wouldn't look so….deformed," Sanji said carefully, looking for the word. "Because we need to be perfect. And he's got patches all over him."

" _Yee_ ah," Law stressed to Zoro with heavy sarcasm.

"Whatever. So, all this time, you decided to put your life and trust into someone you only met once," Zoro wanted clarified, looking at him.

"He said to come see him when I was older. So."

"Interesting how this also applies to a man that had only met _you_ , once."

"What's wrong with that?" Zoro asked Law curiously.

"Well, I mean…what sort of person is Zeff, anyway? What if he wasn't loyal to Germa despite his leave?"

"Why do you give a damn? We're dropping him off by Zeff and we're leaving."

"Right, right…"

Sanji picked out another bone from his mouth. "He's a good man. He was very nice to me."

"Must've had a sucktastic life if one day of kindness stayed with you for all these years," Zoro commented. "God, I wish I had a beer, right now."

"I'm sure Franky has your back when he gets here," Law assured him.

"It wasn't the best," Sanji confessed. "I tried really hard to be like my siblings, but I couldn't be that cruel."

"Well, look where it got you, eh? Some dark room where your only friends were rats. So, hey, do you resent them for all of that?" Zoro asked curiously, leaning back against some rocks, picking at his fish. "You have some sort of revenge plotted out after all these years?"

"Only to return the favor."

"Sounds cool."

"I want to be bigger."

"Nothing we can do about that, unless you were modified in some way," Law said, finishing the rest of his fish. "If you're done, I'd like to take you back to Merry so I can fix you."

"Will you make me bigger?"

"No."

"You guys do that, then," Zoro said, relaxing. "I'm going to take a nap. I have my wrist-comm on me if you need anything."

Back at the ship, Sanji followed Law to the living space, where he reached up and touched the ceiling, this time. What came down was a large, tube-like tank with a metal cot inside, and there was an arm attached to it that allowed him to level it to the floor. The glass lid curved around the cot, and when Law touched it, the light inside lit up with a soft glow. Upon the lid, a few holographic displays jumped out with cheery noises.

"This is a regenerator," Law told him. "It assists with major and minor tissue repairs, reconnects and replenishes vital blood cells _and_ organs up to optimal working condition, and repairs and restores bone breaks, shatters and – not restores a life, or even perform large miracles. It allows a broken body enough repair in order for them a better survival advantage. I'm going to use it today to mend your skin condition, replenish your bone density, and heal that spinal injury. It will also replace your missing teeth, and restore the others to working condition by forcing a restore – replacing what was lost, as it would with a broken limb. From this, I can also assess what other treatment you might need so that I may pass it onto Zeff upon seeing him."

"But it won't make me bigger."

"No. Due to your malnutrition, I'm afraid that this is it, for you. With a proper diet and exercise program, you are able to gain weight and build muscle." With a thoughtful look, he then indicated for Sanji to remove his shirt, and he did so with much hesitation. Law took a few minutes to look him over, running his fingers over the man's spine and noting the bites, scratches and rashes that were visible.

In terrible discomfort, Sanji stared at the metal cot, trying not to think about how soft and gentle the other man's touches were. Occasionally he'd locate a soft spot and Sanji would wince, but it was the overall feeling of being touched by another person, a man he was just admiring minutes earlier, that made him feel sick. He felt the need to somehow cover himself, aware of how he looked compared to the others, and felt shame course over him as those earlier feelings of reaction came back. He tried to ignore it, but that warmth returned; he felt the hard pads of Law's fingers over his sensitive flesh, the light trace of those claws, and he was hyper aware, now, of the other man. He could hear him breathe quietly, and he smelled like river water and something sweet, and –

He could feel his _thing_ hardening again, and that uncomfortable warmth filled his lower belly, and he squirmed with discomfort. He pulled away as Law was examining his lower back, something that made Law retract his hands quickly.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No. Um. I feel…well, there's…something hurts."

"Oh? Let me see – "

"No. I'm…I'm ashamed."

"I can assure you, I was a doctor before I was mixed up with this group, here. I had a steady reputation. If anything hurts or gives you discomfort, you should let me know so that I can attempt to fix it," Law said with concern, running his eyes over the other man's back and shoulders, noting that the hunch he had was caused by the lump near the center of his back. "No matter how embarrassing you seem to think it is."

"Um."

"Look, everything is confidential with me."

"What does that…?"

"It means I can keep good secrets."

Exhaling low, Sanji debated on explaining. For one, Law was the quieter of the two catmen, but he seemed easily rattled. But he had been the patient one with him so far, and took care of him from the start. So he chewed on bottom lip for a few moments, then said, "I think I have an infection. In…in front of me."

"Oh. Okay, well, I didn't notice anything while I'd borrowed your body, but if it's causing you discomfort, show me where, and I can fix it."

"Well...um…sometimes…sometimes it leaks."

"That doesn't sound good. For how long? Was it caused by a bite, or were you harmed by anything…?"

"Sometimes it did at night. I don't know why. It would…do that…and now…it is, it feels like…and…"

"Leaking now? Well, let me – "

"I don't want to. Because I feel…ashamed."

"If something hurts, then there is no shame in revealing it. It could be fixed, but I have to know where in order to know how. The longer you keep it hidden, the more it could harm you in the long run. I don't want it coming to that. I promise, it's not a terrible thing to be ashamed of. I will do my best to fix it. How did it start?"

"From you…touching my back."

"So if I touch your spine, it hurts in front? Is this in your legs, or…? Wait, you said it leaks? At night? So are you lying in a position where the wound could drain? Because if it's draining, then – "

"What is 'draining'?"

"When it leaves your body – usually if a wound is draining, it's infected, and your body is trying to fight it by producing extra – "

"It hasn't drained yet. It just feels like it will. Because it…hurts. And, but, sometimes, it feels good if I touch it."

Law straightened up with a perfectly blank expression. For a moment, he said nothing because his thoughts scrambled to a complete and utter halt. Then he said slowly, "Is this problem located in your, ah, your…?"

"Yes."

" _Well_. That's…ah, that's normal. That's… a completely normal bodily function, and it happens to all of us men. So. There's really no cause for concern. But…ah…you were eight, right? When your father banished you to the cell?"

"Yes."

"No human contact since then?"

"Hm, well…occasionally, he'd send prisoners down there, as well, and…they'd be in other cells."

"But no contact with them? No…physical contact?"

"No."

"When you were with your brothers, did any of you have any discussion regarding changes in your bodies as you grew older?"

"Just to be strong and powerful."

"Ah. _Well_." It boggled Law's mind for those next few moments, nervously clacking his nails together, struggling to understand that this man's lack of contact with others was a clear indication that he was unaware of his own bodily functions. He was glad Zoro was nowhere around to hear this. "Uh, what you are describing is actually pretty normal. But…um, I apologize. Again, there's no shame in the matter, your body is just reacting to something it's never experienced before, and…more than likely, you are confused. Something that feels good might register in other areas more than…and it's fine. It's absolutely fine."

"But I feel ashamed of it."

"Well, um…it happens. To all of us. At inconvenient times. Sometimes, all it takes is a, hmm, random thought, a random movement, but this is just something that occurs without much of your control. And what you described previously, that's normal, too. Sometimes the body just wants to feel without us doing anything about it, and, uh…it's nothing to be ashamed about. All you have to do is excuse yourself, or think of something that's not related to the action, and…it should go away."

"But I don't feel I'm doing it right. Because Zoro said it was…not a good thing. Because it…happened after I looked at you guys."

"Ah. Well…it happens. I just think you're confused because we're really the only ones you've had actual contact with so far," Law said firmly. "I'm sure that once you see others and, well, women, I'm sure you'll react similarly. Does…looking at Nami give you…that?"

"No. That's why I was confused."

"Well, she is pretty much a lie. If you saw her as she truly was, maybe you'll feel different because she's a human woman."

"Maybe…"

"Look, between us, having this conversation is good. Because you shouldn't feel shame in such things. There is nothing you should feel shame about if you are attracted to other men, but – it's…not easily accepted. So if you…take the time to decide for yourself, if this is what you like…it's fine. But you must feel it in _here_ ," he touched Sanji gently over his left breast, "more, than you would down here. Because your penis will make your decisions for you because it can be a pleasurable option, but not the right one."

"I don't…you're saying things weird – "

"Because I'm flustered. This is not a conversation I thought I'd ever have with another man around my age to not know how his body works."

Sanji chewed on the inside of his cheek, red-faced and humiliated, not wanting to make eye contact. But that little spot below his rib cage burned again – turning hot and fiery, his fingers curling into fists once more.

"But I'm glad you said something. I think that if you have any more questions about things, feel free to ask me. If you feel any sort of indignity, or feel that it makes you uncomfortable, then ask me privately. I will do what it takes to answer anything that you feel uncertain of. After all these years, I'm sure you have more than that that makes you curious."

Sanji thought about it. But then again, he was feeling bitter about the moment – being denied a proper relationship with his family, access to human things, to even know that this sort of thing was normal. It made that hotness inside of him burn even fiercer.

He swallowed tightly, fiddling with his fingernails. "I'm sorry," he then muttered.

"Why are you 'sorry'?"

"If I made you feel uncomfortable."

"Look, the only thing that makes me uncomfortable about you is that you were denied basic human rights. Treated like trash. To be honest, I know what that feels like, to be disregarded as a living being. Maybe not to your extent, but…I've got a solid idea. If you feel any way about it, then…it's okay to be angry."

"I don't know if I'm 'angry'…yet. Because right now, I'm just seeing what sort of a world is out here, and it's so different from what I know. Germa was very, hmm, dirty. And the air was bad. And this air is…refreshing! So. And people, they're….fascinating."

"There's always more of it to see. This is just a tiny tip of the iceburg."

"What's an iceburg?"

"A…large block of ice."

"We didn't have those on Germa. Father said it was…mm, too warm."

"Okay. Look. I'm going to fix your back, now. But if you have any more questions, things like this, uh…don't hesitate to ask. Okay? And Roronoa, he says really idiotic things, sometimes, but he can be helpful, too. Don't think that what you're feeling is wrong, or shameful. It happens."

"Does it happen to you, too?"

"Uh, well…to be honest? I have not noticed. But, for now, just…sit back, and continue being curious. There is nothing wrong with being curious."

"…Okay."

"Now, how did this happen to your back?"

"Father kicked me. So, I couldn't walk. But then, after some time, then I could."

"Do you know for how long?" Law asked curiously, prompting him to turn back around, leaning against the cot.

"Since this," Sanji said, pointing at the faded bite mark on his arm. Law remembered Nami saying the scar tissue was around five years old.

"I'm going to have you lay down, now, and I'm going to cut it out. You'll be absolutely fine, you'll only notice a very faint pinch. It doesn't hurt, though. It's just a weird sensation. But…tell me about your cell."

As Sanji grew comfortable on the cot, he felt Law's hands on his back once more. There was a faint blue light, and then he heard some movement. He felt an uncomfortable sensation of hands inside of him, so he thought about the question.

"It was…dark. But I could see the guards when they came in, and…the trash tunnel was next to my cell, so…so that's how I was able to eat."

"What about your water sources?"

"it would come in through a pipe near it. It was leaking, but…I would drink that."

"So, you ate trash that fell into your cell. All these years? And…"

When the man trailed off, Sanji sensed his bewilderment. He turned to look over his shoulder to see what he was looking at, and then caught sight of a worn, withered object he kept turning over and over in his hands. There was a knot built up within the center of it, and Law looked so confused and unsettled by the examination that his silence caused Sanji some uncertainty.

"What sort of things do you remember eating?" Law finally asked, a touch of baffled interest in his tone.

"I couldn't see. It was too dark. But whatever stayed down. What felt like food, I ate it."

"Would you eat rats?"

"No. They were my friends."

Law put the piece down on the cot, then tilted his head to look at him. "Would they bring you anything to eat? Like…did you use them as…pets? They would bring stuff to you from the castle?"

"Yes. They would. But…not from the castle because they were afraid. They would scavenge around the…floor, and I would eat what they would give me. Why? Is it…can you see it all in that?"

"I just…most of your people were modified, genetically enhanced to be superhumans. Right?"

"Yes. Except for me. I was normal. So, father said I was a failure."

"What was your people's normal diet consisting of?"

"Good food. Rich. It was…I can't remember tastes, anymore, but it was grand."

"The reason why I ask is because your spine here shows…that it repaired the break. Your father broke your back."

"Hmm."

Law examined the piece once, tapping on the knot. It had built up with extra calcium within the center, expanding slightly outwards, like a splotch of hardened wood. Seeing the deformation made him think that it had built up as a result of overabundant energy. "But it repaired itself. Unfortunately, to a point where it blocked some parts of your…which is why your legs didn't work…but this is so peculiar, because human bodies do not…perform such function as.."

Then he mumbled to himself, and Sanji didn't understand some of the terms he was using.

He then lowered it to the table with a light clank. "Sanji. Your rat friends. They would bring you things to eat?"

"Yes."

"Did the prisoners die down there, as well?"

"Yes. Father would have them tortured, and I would listen to them cry. And they would."

"Your rat friends…did they bring you…fresh pieces…of meat? Anything different from the trash?"

"Yes. If you're asking if I ate them, I did. Only after they died, though. And I knew it was wrong, but…I was hungry. So. I looked forward to them being brought down there with me. It meant that I could eat something fresh, for at least a week."

For several long minutes, Law was quiet. Then he left the room, to rummage in the cargo bay for tools. When he returned, he sat down on the cot next to Sanji and sawed at the knot with a file, saying nothing at all. Sanji wasn't sure why he was so quiet after asking him so many questions, but he laid there and thought about how cool the water felt on his toes.


	8. Royalty

**A/N: This chapter was a bitch to upload - i had to cut it down immensely, and i'm annoyed at it...but hey, at least it's up!**

 **moony-f, hope, guest : thank you guys for your reviews! Thanks for reading and letting me know your thoughts - it's very appreciated for all of you to throw out your thoughts and such for my f** **ics! Keep up the awesome work!**

 **8: Royalty**

Around him, Yonji faced his brothers and sister, his face glowing with what had just happened to him. To his left, Reiju sat on a lavishly decorated chair, holding a cup of tea primly in her lap. A heavy headdress of cloth and jewelry clung to the top of her head, falling around her bared shoulders. Her gown was made out of wispy pink material, chiffon wrapped lightly around her arms and billowing out from her elbows, held back from her forearms with glowing arm bands.

To her left, Ichiji stood with a frown, dressed in a red battle suit, looking dirty and annoyed at the interruption. His lips had pulled back into a sneer as Yonji described what had just happened, and Ichiji glanced to his left at Niji, who lifted his chin up with acknowledgement to the unspoken word.

Niji was dressed in fitting blue robes, holding a book at his side. He looked as if he'd just emerged from the library, but he had bloodstains on his sleeve, and his blond hair was as majestic as ever, defying gravity in carefully arranged movements.

"Pops said Sanji died, right? So, how the hell am I seeing him in some loser's junk shit out to the East Blue? I fucking lost it seeing him! You can't even tell me that I was trippin' because I seriously wasn't," Yonji added to Ichiji, who frowned at him.

"Well, he did," Reiju said softly. "That explosion killed everyone on board. Very tragic. The half breed sharks that lingered snatched up anything that fell to the bottom of the sea."

"Sis, _seriously_ , this was Sanji. Like, all deformed, and shit. Like a failed project! Short, hunched – and he, like….I can't describe it!"

"Do you have security footage of this alleged clone?" Niji asked snobbishly. "Because while I take it from your insistence that this matter happened, I fail to see the truth without seeing it with my own eyes."

"No, I wasn't wearing my body cam at the time, because I didn't think it mattered. All I did was follow pops' order to check out the ship that was peering in our records, and track down that package from the barge," Yonji said. "I didn't expect to find what I did. All I did was rough up the losers on the ship, and he appeared out of no where."

"So, he survived the explosion, and was somehow living in the dungeons all this time?" Reiju asked, setting her tea aside. "Why not tell us that he'd survived?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask. All I did was shoot the ship down because I figured, hey, pops probably wouldn't appreciate knowing that Sanji was running around, again. You know how he gets."

"Did you make sure that the ship was destroyed?" Ichiji asked curiously. "You watched it happen?"

"No, I just – one of them could teleport, I got out of there just in case he tried to mess my shit up."

"Yonji. Fearing some guy that can 'teleport' won't please father in any way. It sounds like you ran away, like a coward," Ichiji said sternly, frown turning tight.

"Look, bro, honestly? I was tripping balls over the fact that my bro was still alive when all this time, he was supposed to be dead. I wasn't thinking, but it didn't mean that I was afraid. The fact that he was alive, and he was living underneath us all this time kind of blew my mind," Yonji confessed. "Maybe I didn't follow procedure, but what the hell? He was shocked that I didn't know this."

Reiju gave a tilt of her head. "So, what was it he said exactly, Yonji? Are you saying father lied to us about his death?"

"I'm not saying that, no, I'm just saying – he made it seem that he'd been in the dungeon this entire time, and not on the boat," Yonji clarified slowly, gloved hand out.

"We need to work on your speech," Niji said with a sneer, setting his book aside, taking the few steps needed to reach his sister's side. His individual form disappeared, merging moments later to appear next to Reiju. "It's filthy and uncouth."

"Big words for you, today," Yonji pointed out.

"It is odd that Sanji would forget being blown to bits, and come up with this dungeon story," Ichiji said slowly, rolling his shoulders. "Perhaps he received some sort of trauma from the explosion, was found alive by the guards, and father ordered him to rot away in the dungeon, not expecting him to survive. But it appears he has."

"Ugh, that is disgusting," Niji commented with revulsion. "If he was living there all that time, how embarrassing. One of us, living like an animal – imagine what people would say if they heard of this."

"We'll just have to take care of the problem ourselves," Ichiji decided. "Yonji, go back and check, make sure that the ship was destroyed. If you fail this, your brother and I will be very disappointed in you. Meanwhile, Niji, you and Reiju find out how this monstrosity was allowed, and question all those that might've had a hand in it. Talk to the barge pilot."

"You'll be home late, brother?" Reiju asked curiously.

"I'm almost done, here."

"And clean up your mouth," Niji told Yonji impatiently. "You speak like a crass commoner."

Yonji looked at him for a few moments, then reached over and pressed a button out of sight. From behind him, Eminem played, rapping swiftly over being a Rap God. He made a few gestures, shifted his upper body about to mime rapping with him.

Reiju tried not to smile, but Niji growled, fingers tightening on his book. Then Yonji was out, and the siblings looked at each other with grim expressions.

"Such a _brat_ ," Niji growled.

The silence between the three siblings were stiff, heavy, and Reiju tilted her knees from one side to the other as she shifted in her chair.

"Father will be very displeased that his plans to eliminate Sanji didn't go as planned," she said slowly. "For him to survive all this time underground, what does that mean? His claims of Sanji being a failure don't seem to be, if he were to survive that long without any assistance provided."

"He _must_ have had help. Someone from the castle must've assisted him with survival, that's all I can see of it," Ichiji commented sourly. "Once I return, I will ask personally. Reiju, please make sure your brother follows through with the task. I'd hate to see father disappointed in him."

"Much as I love seeing his ass beat," Niji said with a scoff.

"I would love to get out of here for awhile," Reiju said, smiling. "Come home safely, brother. Father should be back within a week."

 **: :**

When Zoro returned to the ship, he was greeted by Sanji standing in the cargo bay, in awe of himself. No longer marred by lesions and rashes, discolored with an unhealthy gray pallor, his skin seemed to glow directly from within. Standing up straight, he _was_ Zoro's height. His eyes had lost that white ring around the pupils, and his hair was shiny, a pale gold. He was moving his limbs with more flexibility – still sickly skinny, but significantly improved. When he grinned brightly at Zoro, his teeth were no longer yellow, rounded nubs – they were healthy and gleamed with health, and Zoro could see his back molars. He wanted to say that both Sanji and Yonji looked similar, now, but Yonji had been thicker in the upper chest area, in the rounding of his face. Maybe it was their coloring that made them alike, but Yonji didn't glow like Sanji did.

He held up a hand to shield his eyes. "Gah. It's _blinding_!"

"The regenerator made a significant improvement on his health," Law said nearby, putting tools away. "Not entirely at one hundred percent, but comparatively improved. He is no longer standing at death's door. His potassium levels have been restored. His bone density has strengthened. I was also able to force-replace his teeth, and fixed his spine. As you can see - "

" _Shut up_ , I can see for myself what you've done."

" – I had intended only to draw him away from death's door, but there were other compounding – "

"I don't even know what half of those words mean, and I don't care – "

" – abilities – "

" 'Compounding'?"

" – that responded to the regenerator – "

"Can't you just say 'mixed'?"

" – and upped the ante – "

"So this was a _gamble_."

" – in his response efforts to the regenerator's ability to fix the worst of his conditions."

Zoro stared up at him with a cross of his arms, Law returning the gesture.

" _Well_? Go on!" they said in unison, gesturing at each other. Then made irritated expressions at each other, growling, teeth bared.

"There is still a significant amount of work to be done," Law finished, tail twitching as Zoro's lifted until straightened. "The regenerator assisted with significant physical issues, but the psychological damage will take years to undo. With that being said, you'll need to refrain from blurting out loud any stupidity that you feel will cause him to doubt or question his self-worth. You tend to speak without thinking."

"How _dare_ you say that the things I say are 'stupid', when you use words like 'refrain', and 'does this smell funny to you?'"

"Could you please act your age and not your dick size? No homo."

"I rather like my _eight_ year old self, thank you."

Sanji stared at them in silence, listening to them growl, tails flicking, wondering if this was going to end in a fight. The way they leaned towards each other, combined with their growling words, didn't seem to bode well with their earlier camaraderie. He wasn't even sure what they were upset about. He crossed his arms with a frown, trying to figure them out.

"Why do you fight a lot?" he asked curiously.

"Because he's taller than me," Zoro answered with a frown. "Pisses me off."

"Ah. Small man complex."

"He even _admits_ it!" Law muttered with disgust.

"It's important to establish dominance," Sanji said. "It shows strength and power over the weak minded and feeble."

Zoro laughed loudly, Law looking at Sanji with insult. Seeing that he made a an insensitive comment, he stuttered, "At least, that's what father says, and I don't agree with many of his topics, I'm sure it doesn't apply here. I'm sorry. I don't think that you're weak minded or feeble at all."

"Too late. It's already out there. You got some work you need to do to prove him wrong?" Zoro asked Law, who grumbled, glaring at Sanji. Zoro pulled out a small steel ball, and rolled it forward. From it popped up a fighting dummy, complete with sword. It crouched into a fighting stance, Law frowning at it before looking back at Zoro. Gesturing at it, Zoro said, "Basic movement. Try to use what you've been crying over the past day."

With an exhale through his nose, Law withdrew his sword, facing the dummy with some uncertainty .

"More confidence! Shit! It's a dummy, it can't hurt you!"

There was more than enough space in the cargo bay to execute basic defense movements, and the dummy wasn't much more than an exaggerative dancer. It grew to know Law's movements and action, adapting to his somewhat sluggish gestures, throwing a swing with enough time to it to allow him to block.

Sanji watched curiously for a few moments, then looked at Zoro with uncertainty. "He's not very good, is he?" he whispered low.

"I heard that!"

"We all start off somewhere, kid," Zoro said, watching with a critical eye. "Yeah, maybe he's not the very best beginner there is, but at least he wants to learn. If he didn't, he'd be throwing a fit somewhere, crying about how mean I am."

"I don't cry - !"

"But you're not mean at all," Sanji pointed out over Law's indignant snap. "You're very gentle. I don't think that it's a good idea to be gentle when you're learning to fight. You fight to win, and you fight to prove that you're strongest."

"Everyone takes to the sword differently, with different ideas behind it, kid. Whatever his was, that's his business. What matters is what he's going to do with it in the end. He wants to get better? Then he's got to train for it – he's got to get that attitude going, as well, but, like I said, we all start somewhere, and basics are important. As long as he's getting the basics down now, we shouldn't have a problem later."

"I was taught to be aggressive from the start. To kill right away."

"Show me," Zoro said, withdrawing one of his swords.

"Er…maybe…maybe not."

"Kid, trust me, you won't be able to hurt me. Leave it in the scabbard if you'd like," Zoro said, withdrawing another, keeping it within the red sheath. Sanji caught it with uncertainty, looking hesitant with it. "I'll give you a few minutes to get used to it, it's probably been awhile, right?"

Sanji nodded tightly, seeing the _bokken_ in his hands. He remembered the sting of it against his flesh, the hard wooden flattening against his face or ribs. But he could hear his father's voice in the background, saying all the things he'd just said to Zoro, so he held tightly onto the grip with remembered position. He looked over at Law, seeing him perform basic defensive maneuvering, then at Zoro, who was patiently redirecting him into proper stances. The dummy would stop its advancement once it sensed Law's defensiveness, waiting for Law to reset himself.

Sanji wondered what life would have been like if he had a teacher like Zoro instructing him, rather than the ones he had growing up. He looked at the sword in hand, then carefully put it down, catching their attention.

"I don't want to," he said quietly, watching Zoro with caution.

"That's okay, then. I'm not forcing you to do something you don't want to. But if you're not willing to participate, then it's not fair of you to make judgment on another person's effort. Is that clear?"

Sanji nodded, looking shamed for his earlier comment. Hands placed neatly in his lap, he sat at the edge of one of the metal crates lined up against the wall, and watched as Zoro continued instructing Law on how to handle his sword. Twice, they had to pull back from the dummy, where Zoro would demonstrate a move, and Law would copy it. Sanji was in awe of their friendship, how they could come together to exchange words gently and helpfully, rather than brutalize one another with insults and arrogant boasting. He liked the way Zoro would firmly redirect Law's arms, and he liked the way Law accepted the instruction by actually doing it.

Face flushed, Sanji rested his elbows on his knees, palms on his chin, liking the way the two spoke quietly to each other. He liked their voices, deep and masculine, and he liked the way Zoro's scarred hands shifted over Law's longer limbs. He was starting to feel funny again, so he cleared his throat and looked around himself, trying to think of something other than that warm feeling.

Time passed in this direction, and he had curled up on the crate to take a nap when the dummy was shut off, and he heard Zoro say, "Because all princesses need to learn how to save themselves."

"I'm not a fucking princess, alright? Stop fantasizing about it, you creep."

"Hey, no judgment, but I just think that you shouldn't expect to be saved by a man in armor, unless it's yourself."

"You're such an ass!"

"Will you two please kiss, or throw a fist?" Nami asked impatiently, appearing nearby, rolling her eyes. She was holding a clipboard in both hands, checking it off with a flick of her fingers as the men separated from each other, giving themselves distance from the other. As she was scanning the cargo bay, she then caught sight of Sanji, meandering towards him with a delighted laugh. "Look at you! Darling! _Wow_! You are definitely Germa!"

"Not that I feel that that's a compliment," Sanji replied slowly, slipping down from the crate.

"Yeah, I apologize. Open mouth, insert foot. Listen, the Sunny left hyperspeed, and should be arriving here by tonight," Nami then said to the catmen. Both of whom winced at the sight of her. She was wearing her pixel suit again, her long hair gathered at the back of her head, flower crown in place. Her features were heavily made with matte makeup, blue lips and eyeshadow cut so sharply that it was as if these colors were applied by ruler.

Recalling their earlier conversation, Law glanced at Sanji to see if he'd react to her, but the man just looked at her with calm observation as she walked around them, jewelry dancing at her wrists.

"That's good to know," Zoro said with some relief. "This guy's anxiety had been terribly bothersome the entire time."

"The lies that escape your mouth," Law muttered, Nami looking at his tail with an expression that clearly believed Zoro.

"Were you able to talk to Zeff?" Sanji asked her curiously, stepping forward to catch her attention as she made to say something to the catmen glaring at each other.

"No, but he has left indication that he is in midflight from point of contact," Nami said. Her eyes coursed over him, taking him in with a smirk, twirling the end of her ponytail with one finger. "I'm sure he's going under just to avoid Germa's radar."

She then exhaled heavily. " _Damn_. Those cheekbones are putting me into a near swoon. Why did you bastards cut his hair? You _savaged_ him."

"That is the wrong word to be using," Zoro said sternly.

Law gestured at him. "Gimli, here, felt it was necessary to use his sword to do it."

"Why am I 'Gimli'? I'm far more handsome than that guy is, _Gollum_."

"You're both _orcs_ ," Nami muttered, giving them a glare.

"Moving on, it appears that he had a level of regenerating ability that amplified the actions of the regenerator, allowing him a significant improvement to his health than I originally intended on," Law said, as Nami walked out from _Merry_ 's doors, taking the ramp down into the soft dirt. The three followed after her. She took in the sights, marveling over the flowers, the moving trees, the wavy clouds. The mountaintops seemed to surge into the blue sky, the color similar to a sapphire that seemed to sparkle from stars that were too close.

Sanji shielded his eyes, then removed his hand, utterly amazed that the brightness of the sun didn't bother him as much as it had, earlier. His vision adjusted faster, and the warmth, the humidity struck him with a different feel. His skin immediately felt moist, beading up just under the light hairs of his arms, at his neck. Zoro started complaining immediately, mouth open as he fanned himself.

"This was how he was able to survive as long as he did?" she asked Law curiously.

"Yes."

"So, if I chop off your arm, it'll grow back?" Zoro asked Sanji curiously.

"Not to that level," Law said quickly. "It was…see, his cells are able to retain a level of energy once – "

"Oh, God, _doctor mode_ ," Zoro complained.

"Shut up and listen!" Nami snapped.

" – they begin to store them, or come into an exponential contact with a power source that was found in either his environment, or from a product he came into direct contact with. He was able to hold this energy over very short periods of time, in which they doubled the amount of – "

"So he touched an outlet?" Zoro asked, furrowing his brow. He looked at Sanji accusingly. "So you retain electrical energy like a lamp?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Sanji said with a confused expression.

" – in which they replicated quickly to form – "

"Not like a damn lamp!" Nami snapped at Zoro. "If you'd listen and use that stupid brain of yours, you'd know what he was saying!"

" – the needed granulated tissue and minerals to reform new skin cells and bone- regrowth, and why do I even _bother_ trying to explain myself when you're clearly not listening, this is so pointless – "

"I know what he's saying! He's saying the guy can fix his own wounds! Hey, how convenient, we should all have that ability - !"

" –honestly could've wasted my breath _breathing_ , instead of trying to explain anything to you people – "

" _I_ understand," Sanji said to Law with an amused smile, seeing the expression on his face, translator working quickly to capture his words, and those of Nami and Zoro's as they continued to argue with each other. "It's true. Our people are amplified with a level of regenerative ability, allowing us to heal faster. But it also helped that I ate – "

Law clapped a hand over his mouth as Nami looked over, interested.

"Your level of speech has _improved_!" she exclaimed, Law shaking his head at Sanji, who looked puzzled.

"Yeah, but it's still as if he were a kid, so some of his speech patterns are a little off," Zoro said, yawning.

"You mean, he's not a threat to you, so you'll continue to treat him as a child," Law pointed out.

Zoro sputtered in mid-yawn.

"The Germa Empire has a really bad ecosystem, and not that long ago, they reverted to moving around their planet on massive aircraft, Sanji," Nami said, ushering them several feet away from her. With a lift of her arms, projected images began to grow from the dirt, revealing themselves as nondescript grey towers, smaller buildings with tightly coiled train systems, a heavily foggy skyline. Expanding outward from that was the Red Sea, the castle in full detail at the edge, a visible trash barge lingering near the edge of the south tower. From their vision, it was apparent that the entire city rested upon a very flat aircraft, lifted away from planet surface.

"Yes, that's Germa," Sanji said, recognizing his city.

"It's because of their pursuit of advanced technology and human evolution that they destroyed their planet's ecosystem," Nami continued, gesturing at the skyline. "Ice melted on both axis points, and their global warming allowed for significant weather changes that discovered needed rain fall and cold seasons, leaving it a very discomforting high temperatures that made it impossible to venture outside. They were mostly inside people, house cats. Because of the melting of all polar ice caps on their axis points, there is no land available, and all their water is contaminated to a point where they had to form water filtration points just to have fresh water. They ended up creating massive land ships that carry them over the sea as their planet continues to rotate."

"Yes, that's how it is," Sanji said with a frown. He looked around himself, gesturing at the wind rustling through the flat-topped trees, the blue skies. He enjoyed the feel of the breeze that made his hair flutter. "This was all just images on a screen. Pictures are different from the actual thing. Smells are more than I'd ever imagined. This water tastes nothing like the filtered or recycled ones that I was drinking all this time."

"Someone get him a bow and arrow," Zoro whispered.

"But I'm aware that they were taking to the air, because we were given a tour of the aircraft before…then."

"Enjoy the taste of this planet, because not all planets are like this one," Nami said to Sanji, the city disappearing around her with a wave of her arm. She then indicated that he walk with her as she went to examine the flowers dancing nearby. "Where we come from, we're not that far off from what Germa did to theirs. Our temperatures are warmer, we're losing our atmosphere little by little, and our human population has become so bad that most of us are heading into space and disappearing. Not that it's helped our planet any."

"That's too bad."

"Do all your siblings have the same eyes as you do?" she then asked, peering into his face. "When I saw the pictures of them, they didn't have the same glow to them as you do."

"Father said that Reiju and I looked more like our mother than the others, did."

"Do they have weird abilities, as well?"

"I don't understand the question."

"I guess you wouldn't…and you'd mentioned that you weren't like them, so…I just think – _feel_ \- that your father was harsher on you than humanely possible, and I'm trying to understand why," she said. "Law mentioned you had regenerative abilities in short amount, and sometimes I'm listening to him, but other times I don't, so do these abilities come from within, is this something you can do on your own, or…?"

"I think that's enough questioning of my patient for now," Law said, interrupting quickly, inserting himself between them and lightly pushing Sanji into a walk away from her. "He looks very tired."

"I'm actually feeling well rested," Sanji said with some surprise.

"You Mangy Cat! Stop right there!"

"Don't say _anything_ about what you told me," Law said to Sanji hastily, lowering his voice to do so.

"Why?"

"Just don't."

"Look, another reason why I came by," Nami said, appearing in front of them with her arms crossed tight over her breasts. "A Fedex package came for you, and I sent it ahead with Bepo to give to you. It was from the North Blue, it seemed to be a letter."

"You didn't open it, did you?" Law asked, slightly panicked.

"It had the stamp of the Donquixote family seal," Nami stated, giving him a look.

"I KNEW IT!" Zoro hollered.

"I will discuss it with you later," Law snapped at her, stomping off.

Startled with this complete turnaround of his attitude, Nami looked after him with surprise. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, though.

"Zoro, shut up! You're such a pest!" Nami then snapped at him, Sanji wandering after her.

"I just hate it when I'm proven right, all the time."

"You're not ' _right'_. He's said nothing about where he comes from or anything about his personal life, so for you to lay it on thick, it's - !"

"I know, I _know_ , I just feel that pampering anybody in this group is not helping anybody in the slightest."

" _You're_ not helping anybody in the slightest around here!" Nami huffed, then looked at Sanji. "Come with me. Let's go inside, and look for that Water Mite these two keep letting slide."

: :

Law glared out over the water, chucking rocks into the peaceful calm. He was making his way upriver, needing some space from the others. His anxiety had increased at the mention of the letter. His home, a distant planet in the North Blue, was considered a strong kingdom. It belonged to the fallen Celestial beings, the brothers Donquixote. There was no recognized federation in that part of the galaxy that would touch it, considering the intense mix of politics and trading that kept the corrupt in business, credits in their pockets.

He reached into the inside of his vest, pulling out a thin gold ring. He examined it for a few moments, a little wistful.

"So, you're mated," Zoro stated, startling him so badly that he dropped the ring, and nearly climbed a tree, fur fluffed. Zoro tried to laugh, but he reeled himself in with impressive action. "My precious...!"

"Goddamn you!"

"I was making so much noise, I thought you heard me coming."

"No, I'm not, by the way," Law muttered, looking for the ring. He put that back into his inside vest pocket, red-faced. "I'm _supposed_ to be."

"Is she hot?"

"Not that it's any of your business…"

"Why haven't you ever said anything? Oh, never mind, it's one of _those_ , isn't it? A marriage for convenience," Zoro stated, looking at the sky thoughtfully. He knew exactly how the worlds worked in the North Blue, which had made him eager to escape it. "That was supposed to be arranged for me, too, but I hated mine. She had no respect for my swords at all. I tried to kill her, but she was amazingly good at defending herself."

"Killing your mate would have solved nothing."

"I didn't have the ring on, yet. It was dissolved immediately for her safety."

"We get along. Enough that I made enough to send back home so…"

"But you left the North for a reason. So why are you trying to bring the traditions back here with you?"

Law shrugged. "We agreed on the same things, and Earth was…fitting."

"Same castes?"

"Yes."

"I was out of mine, but it was my swords that made the matchmaker happy. So I got paired with this stupid bird from over the pond."

"They paired you with a _bird_? You're natural enemies, of course it wouldn't work."

"Well, what'd you have?"

"A fox."

Zoro looked troubled. "I thought those prices were suspiciously low…"

Law looked at him with impatient action. "You should know that you can't be paired with someone outside your species, or caste!"

"Luffy works well with Nami. And, I'm not lying, I hooked up with a couple of humans, myself. Same mechanics."

"I _know_ , humans are universal holes, but they provide me with nothing further."

"And that's where you went wrong," Zoro said, taking a seat on a nearby stump, yawning. "Thinking of them as holes, or of convenience."

"I'm not saying they're lesser creatures, they're…interesting. It was shocking coming to Earth and seeing their colorful chaos. I'm still adjusting."

Zoro figured. Law was so different from them that it both entertained and annoyed him. Being that they were from the same galaxy, though, he felt that Law should have pulled away and made his own choices as they came, not by what tradition dictated, by now. But with talking about his past, Zoro had wondered what he was hiding. All his actions of today gave Zoro intense suspicion.

And the family seal that Nami had pointed out said a lot.

"So, Donquixote, huh?"

Law said nothing to expand on that.

Zoro wiped his face. "So, is she coming to Earth?"

"I'd hoped."

"So you guys can friendzone each other? She'll run off with some other guy, and you just lost out on a bunch of money."

"I'm sure the courtship would still apply, considering that I was paying for the ticket out."

Zoro's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Is she hot?"

"Looks don't matter. What mattered was that we got along, and we were able to have something stable."

"Y'know, you're doing that thing, again. Where you're not answering a question directly."

Law grit his teeth.

"Do you like her?"

"I agree with expressed viewpoints."

"Is it even a girl?"

Law fiddled with the answer for a few moments. Then scrunched up his face, heaving a reluctant breath. "…No."

"I KNEW IT!"

"Most marriages are like this. All it does is serves a purpose. There's no such thing as 'homosexuality', heterosexuality - it just _is_ , _however_ it is, how _convenient_ it can be to both parties."

"I'm just giving you a hard time. We come from the same place, I know how that shit works." Seeing the cross look on the taller man's face, Zoro frowned. "Look, I just think that if you shipped out your potential hubby to Earth, it's not going to go well. You just said it's something of 'convenience'. It only works because you guys get along. That shit don't work on Earth. They're going to run off as soon as they realize how loose it is, here."

"I think that you should place more faith in decorum and understanding than…"

Zoro threw his hands up with exasperation. "I'm not going to feel sorry for you, then. And what are they going to say when they see you like this? They know you got those scars?"

"…No. Not…back then."

" _Right_. Because everyone wasn't being burned in the street for even breathing of the topic out loud, so now that they know, you think it'll be the same. Those people living in that society is very hellbent on their beliefs and traditions, and I don't know why you'd try and bring that shit here when it's not going to work."

Law scowled at him. "Did you just come out here to lecture me on how to live my life?"

"No, I came out here to find you because Nami has the Water Mite in a jar, and wants to show you how to dispose of it."

Giving an impatient growl, Law started walking back towards _Merry_ , Zoro following.

"So, _why_?" Zoro asked, walking feet behind him. "Why bring them out? You said you don't even have feelings for him, so why even the effort? What makes you think they'd even want to?"

"It's the last of what I had from home. I just want to hold onto it."

"This is a new place, a new start!" Zoro complained. "So maybe you should change your outlook."

"I'm fine with what I had."

"Look, you still have a free pass out of it."

"My mind is set on it. I don't want this one thing changing, after everything that I lost."

"You need more of an open mind. Humans are actually a little less problematic than foxes. Foxes are… _ugh_. Besides, how the hell can you guys have children if – "

"There's ways. I've implanted them, myself."

"So, who does the, uh… _eh_ , _eh_?"

"WHAT."

"You know. The poking. Who decided on what? Your answer matters. I am judging you."

Law stared at him, incredulous, then took a longer stride away from him. Zoro gave a light laugh.

"Oh, _c'mon_! I'm just kidding! I don't need to know!"


	9. Closer

**A/n: Here's the last part of the last chapter, plus some. After that, it's time to zoom off to adventure! (the gym)**

 **Guest#1: Zoro is just teasing him, haha! He's not really judging him for being top or bottom. And, yep, in this fic, planets are being destroyed from within : (**

 **Alasse-m: the thought never occurred to him, but he was just enjoying their interaction as something different, something amazing. He never thought he'd be given a choice to pick up a weapon, so he's taking advantage of it every time Zoro asks, and there will be more to that soon.**

 **Panda Blackwhite: lol I seem to be getting that a lot! I went back and fixed the typo, thanks! Once gain, your eagle eyes see everything!**

 **Saemon: it probably won't be revealed any time soon, once the others reach him. he's still a secretive guy. Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!**

 **9: Closer**

"Why are you such an asshole?" Law asked, striding away from the shorter man, who followed him through the sharply weeping flowers and grass that tried to part away from their booted feet. Around them, vines twisted and weaved their way through tree branches, moving away from danger. A frog croaked noisily from nearby, brilliant purple speckles shining as it adjusted its position on a rock.

The planet truly was a beautiful setting, but he wasn't focused on the surroundings when his mind was on other things.

Zoro followed after him, at a slower pace because he was busy looking up at the trees, admiring the birds moving through the skies. They were large, almost the size of horses, and they called out to each other in deep barks. Their wings shimmered under the light, making him think of Christmas lights. "So, hey, _are_ you royalty?"

"Not any more if my own people were trying to kill me."

Palm on fist, Zoro said, "I knew it!"

"'Knew' what?" Nami asked, appearing from Law's wrist-comm, looking at them impatiently. With her smaller image, she perched on Law's shoulder and noticed the tense distance between them, Law's agitated ears moving about.

"He's a fucking _prince_."

Law looked back at him with an exasperated frown. "Look, it's complicated, but I am not _royalty_."

"Back home, there are two Celestials that rule one planet, and he claims loyalty to one of them," Zoro explained to Nami as they reached _Merry_ 's loading ramp. "If he's part of their court, that pretty much makes him royalty, right?"

"Well, I guess..." Nami's smaller form disappeared, reappearing full body in front of them. She then gestured impatiently ahead of them, where Sanji was holding a Mason jar with a heavy fluid inside. Its nucleus was a brilliant, glowing orange, and its body was clear and solid. Small, claw like hands pawed at its glass prison with desperation, with were no facial features or shape to identify it with any other emotion. But Sanji was looking at it with sympathy.

"He feels _sorry_ for it," Nami stated.

"It's not hurting anyone," Sanji said softly, holding the jar with both hands. "It can't even think for itself. It's only trying to survive."

"It's a _pest_."

"Give it to me, I'll show you what to do with it," Zoro said, withdrawing his blaster. Sanji bracketed his arms around the jar and stared at him stubbornly. "You can't keep it. It will eat our water sources. It'll eat _us_. Did you touch it?"

"Yes," Nami said with a heavy sigh. "Law, his hand."

The taller catman noticed that one hand was slightly more shriveled than the other. It looked waxy and stiff, and he made a face.

"It was scared," Sanji explained calmly. "It only tried to get away."

"Water is valuable out here in space," Nami said.

"If we don't have it, you two both will die of thirst," Zoro threatened.

"What about you?" Nami asked curiously.

Zoro looked around himself with a lost expression, crossing his arms over his chest. His ears flickered, tail dancing around his legs. "I've got another bottle stashed somewhere, I just can't remember where…"

"You'll die first!" Nami snapped at him.

Law observed the way Sanji held onto the jar. It wasn't anything to Law – while it was definitely _different_ , something he didn't expect of a Water Mite, the way Sanji looked at it made him think there was something more going on in that concerned gaze.

"Look, keep it in the jar," Law told Sanji. "It can't be that harmful if it's kept in there, right?"

"Law, you can't allow these things to live! It's going to escape and get right back to your water sources!" Nami protested.

"If it's in a jar without anywhere to go, it can't _feed_ , right?"

Nami understood, but she didn't know why Law was extending the extra effort towards the man's sympathy towards a common pest. After looking at Sanji's stubborn face, she decided to go with it, just to let it go. "….Ah."

"Make sure it's sealed tight," Law told Sanji, who nodded with an uncertain expression towards Zoro. "In fact, have Mr Roronoa help you seal it properly."

"I got some duck tape in the cockpit, for those quick save repairs," Zoro said, making his way up into the ship, Sanji following after him, looking at the creature inside with worry.

Nami made a face, looking at both of them. Their easy-to-jump attitude to accommodate the lost prince made her feel irritated. While she understood that he came from an awful situation, his problem was a larger one that they seemed to not grasp the entirety of. In her view, they were babying him, and it was odd to her that they would. She couldn't wrap her mind around it, though, choosing to let them pick their battles at this time, considering they would wipe their hands of it after meeting with Zeff.

"So? Was this letter something you were expecting from home?" Nami asked Law curiously, looking up at him. The sun's light from outside seemed to brighten the puddles of white on his face, which touched parts of his cheek and neck. While he didn't seem self-conscious, being physically marked with flaws that caused most people to perform double takes upon seeing them, he was very serious, and had been pretty uptight when they first met him. But everyone's attitudes had loosened him up considerably, allowing him to even joke with them; but overall, the man was still a mystery to them.

He apparently had a very wide sympathy streak for strays, considering he was one, himself.

Hand on one ample hip, she asked, "Will you be leaving us?"

"I can't ever return home. This disease ravaged half of our planet. Without a cure, it's considered a death-on-sight sentence. I'm completely free of it after consuming the devil fruit, but the scars do tend to cause panic, which was the reason why I was forced to leave."

Nami frowned a little. "If you ever feel uncomfortable with things, please let me know. I do think affectionately about all of you, even if you all cause _One Piece_ trouble. Luffy loves all you guys, and he's…well, I trust him. So if he's seen good in you, then I do, too, that's a given."

"So far, I haven't felt the need to run for the hills."

"Zoro's only hard on you because he worries about you."

"That's a laugh."

They both paused at the sound of approaching feet. Coming towards them were long, spindly beings with four legs, breathing heavily. From their heads were discolored vines, large branches that were balanced precariously between their oval shaped ears. They let out cries of discovery upon seeing them, but they were more interested in the moving grass underfoot than they were of them. They swept through the area with heavy breathing, looking for the best spot to eat. Flowers emitted a strange shriek, and the pair of them watched from the safety of the ramp as the animals began eating them. They reminded the two of cows, really, docile and heavy, focused only on the meal.

"So, how did you and your intended meet?"

"In our world, pairings are chosen by family, and it's more of an advantage, or convenience. It doesn't involve feelings or physical attraction, but each person needs to get along civilly and politely. Earth's ways are…very shocking, to me."

"You've never said anything about having someone."

"I don't have to."

" _Right_ ," she murmured with an eyeroll.

"This marriage will be I have left of home. Plus, it will please Doflamingo and Corazon."

Nami tried not to feel uncomfortable, but she did. She felt sorry for the man that tried so desperately to continue to be part of a world that rejected him. Hearing that he had hope to continue with a marriage that was surely going to fail made her feel like calling Bepo to open up the letter he was going to deliver, just to prepare Law for the news.

"Is she pretty, at least? It'd be nice to have another woman around."

"I just feel that my business should stay my business, and shouldn't be something to be discussed by all of you."

"Because he's marrying a _dude_ , Nami," Zoro said, popping up from behind them, Sanji holding up his tape-sealed jar with glee.

Considering the life she lived with the crew, she wasn't that surprised. But she stomped her foot with irritation. "I am tired of _dudes_."

"This marriage would allow Doflamingo to expand his kingdom to the moon tribes in our system. It is convenient and beneficial to everyone involved."

"Hey, smart guy, if they ran you out of the kingdom, what makes you think others will agree to the marriage?" Zoro asked Law impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He made the choice to run away, but it has been agreed that Doflamingo will use our marriage to have advantage of the moon tribes anyway."

Nami made the note that, even though Doflamingo was considered a dangerous individual, Law still seemed dedicated to him. "If this guy's such a powerful king, then why doesn't he just _make_ everyone accept that you've got these scars, but not the disease?"

"Because Corazon tries not to rule with fear, and if there was enough fear, there would be an uprising, and Doflamingo would kill them all in his efforts to make them obey."

"Sounds…brutal," Nami said carefully. "I know he's not the nicest guy out there…it sounds yin and yang where you're from. But it also sounds romantic if your fiancé is willing to drop everything to escape a system like that for someone that was banned from home."

"It's not about 'love'."

The concept of the lack of love in a relationship made her face twist with baffled action. "Then what is it?"

"Mutual satisfaction for a life that isn't so structured."

Both Nami and Zoro laughed, Sanji lowering his jar to look at them with curiosity, not getting their joke. Law crossed his arms tightly, scowling. Sensing rising tension once more, Sanji paused in examining the Water Mite, watching him cautiously as he glared at the pair.

With deliberate gestures of his hands, Zoro said, "You are _following_ a structure from a place that you feel is holding you back!"

Nami gave Law a pointed look. "He's got a point, and you know how I hate having to agree with him."

Ears flattened, Law snapped, "This is my _tradition_! It's all I have, okay? For you to mock it - !"

"I'm sure you two will fall in love when he gets here," Sanji assured him, the Water Mite swishing in the jar. He wiped his nose with his damaged hand, remembered it, then wiped it on his pants instead. "You're very nice."

"Ew, sweetie, we need to learn some manners. Grown men don't do that now, okay?" Nami said gently, catching sight of it. Embarrassed, Sanji nodded.

"Can we not talk about this, anymore?" Law then said. "It is officially none of your business."

" _Fine_ , I wash my hands of it," Nami said, hands up.

"I'll probably bring it up, once or twice, just to be a dick," Zoro confessed.

"We can go do something different, take your mind off it," Sanji suggested gently, seeing his agitation. "Do you want to go look for some creatures down by the river? I saw some frogs with weird colors over there in the rocks."

Law gave him a bewildered look before he realized whom he was talking to. It was definitely too weird for him to hear such child-like innocence from a full grown man that had recently confessed to him his means of survival.

"No, I was just there. Thank you, though."

"Might as well as take him up on the offer," Zoro said with a smirk. "Your man-wife probably won't let you do these things when he gets here. No friends, no life. Look at the way Nami treats Luffy."

"Har, har," Nami said, hands on her hips.

At that point, Law left them again, stomping angrily into the ship. Nami reached over to slap Zoro across the head, but her hand went right through him.

"Will you stop giving him such a hard time?" she hissed at him. "The way you continuously attack him is…you're just being a dick!"

Zoro gave an impatient sigh, hands on his hips, tail lifting to curl over his arm. Sanji studied him cautiously, face pulled into a frown. Zoro's ears shifted about as he listened to the noises around him, then he said, "I just think he's going to be very disappointed with things."

Sanji then looked at Nami for a reaction, seeing that she was wearing a slightly amused smile. It was all affection and understanding between them, and he liked the way they regarded each other with friendly affection. Even if they'd snapped and snarled at each other earlier, it was with no malice or anger. It truly was wondrous seeing this sort of thing in front of him, considering all he knew was aggression, manipulation and arrogance from his siblings. There had been times where they had all gotten along just fine, but not to this degree.

Zoro's answer said that he was worried for the man's potential rejection. "I just think that it'll be easier for him to accept that it won't work the way he wants it, to."

"It's not your business to judge or decide that sort of thing!"

Zoro nodded; he knew, he just couldn't help himself from saying the obvious. He then shrugged, giving up on the subject. "I'll give him a few to think about it, then go apologize."

"Thank you, I'm so glad you're starting to mature over such things."

Sanji listened to them with an amazed expression, sure that this wasn't the end of a conversation. No one had been forced into taking action; no one had been forced to make a life-or-death choice. No one had laid their fists on each other, and no one had been that angry to retaliate. He almost couldn't understand it, looking for some sign of simmering violence beneath those expressions.

He looked at the Water Mite in the jar, its small paws clinging to the glass walls. He thought about releasing it into the river, feeling guilty for closing it up in a trap it couldn't escape.

"C'mon, let's reload _Merry_ her flares," Nami then said to Zoro, gesturing at a nearby wall. With a roll of his eyes, Zoro followed her instruction, both of them then leaving the cargo bay, still talking between them.

Sanji stood up from the crate and went in search of Law, just to make sure he was okay. He found the man sulking in the cockpit, one foot up on the dash, hands folded over his stomach.

"Um, you're from the Donquixote kingdom, Law?" he asked curiously, reaching up to adjust the translator hugging his ear.

"Yes," Law muttered, not wanting to talk, but not wanting to discourage the man from talking, given how cautious he'd been around them.

"Your galaxy was like a fairy tale for us. I've only read about your people in books," Sanji said, watching that black tail start to flick. He took a few moments to choose a different topic, sensing Law's discomfort in the subject. "Um, so…if Nami or any other person asks how I survived, what should I tell them, if I can't tell them the truth?"

"Ah, just…I understand that you did what you had to, and it makes sense that the things you consumed assisted with your survival, but cannibalism is taboo with human beings. They don't react very well to it. To this day, they share stories of such things with a considerable amount of shame and horror, so if they hear that you did it, it is quite possible that they will feel these things, for you."

Sanji absorbed the advice with a grave expression. Fiddling with the jar, he said quietly, "I didn't want to."

"I know. I think anyone in your situation would've done the same thing. Humans are both fascinated and horrified by the things that their kind has done to live. I just feel that saying anything like that to these people would be…I'd prefer that you didn't. Don't worry. They will like you."

Sanji looked off to the side, thinking about how warm and fresh that particular meat was. There was the chemical aftertaste, the nauseating horror of doing something unfathomable that had always left him shamed afterward.

Law looked back at him with a frown, lowering his foot from the dash. He indicated the seat next to him, and Sanji debated on taking it. Fiddling with the jar, he then took the steps necessary to be there, and sat slowly, looking around himself with fascination. Everything looked dingy and old, with levers that had worn grips, push-buttons with paint rubbed right off, and missing light covers. There was even a small spider web in the very back corner of the dash, which made his skin crawl.

"Why?" Law then asked him, ears forward. "Why live so long in that darkness, eating human flesh, knowing that you'd never have a way out? That's one thing I don't understand."

Sanji fiddled with the jar. He thought about the reasons that kept him going, even when the loneliness grew maddening, when he hadn't heard another human voice in what felt like a very long time.

"One of those reasons was my mother," he mumbled. "She agreed to carry us while father carried on with some experimental modifications to us. But…she was…very different from him. All I remember is her gentle hands. And Zeff…he was nice. And in the middle of everything I thought – this wasn't all it was. If I could just leave, I would find something different from it all. I just needed to wait until I was older to do so, when he wanted to see me."

Law sighed heavily. He wished that statement didn't affect him as much as it did. He reached up to push his hair back from his face, fiddle with his earrings before reluctantly staring out the window.

"Plus, I really wanted to see the things in the books we had. Of blue oceans, and fresh air! I had a book, it was a collection of fairytales, and it had pictures from different planets throughout all the galaxies, and I just really wanted to see them all. See, our planet was ruined by pollution and seas stained by chemicals, and these pictures, they were different shades of blue, and alive with many different creatures, and Zeff talked about seeing them all. So I really wanted to go to Zeff, and I'd hoped that he'd take me to see these places," Sanji added wistfully. "That's why I hoped he'd want me. I could help him, like I did before. Maybe my family felt I couldn't be useful to them, but Zeff could use me."

The man's smile was really too bright for someone that saw too much darkness, and it made Law feel funny.

"But…now that I saw what Yonji was capable of, I don't think I could do this," Sanji said, looking at the jar once more. "Zeff…is an old man. And my brothers are strong and cruel. They will hurt him just to make me regret thinking that this was…acceptable. They will kill him and let me live to think about what I'd done, and I don't want to endanger Zeff that way."

"Space is grand. Anybody can get lost wandering it. From the looks of things, it appears that both of you would be capable of staying out of their reach."

"…You think so? I would…I hope…it's okay if he doesn't, but I just…want to be able to see all the things I had only seen in books, and…even if it's just for a short while…"

Law looked over at him, fiddling with his claws. Then lifted one, chewing absently, thinking about his words.

"I understand exactly how you feel," he said vaguely.

Sanji studied him for a few moments, and then looked out the windshield. There was so much color around them; the sky was brilliantly blue, with stars sparkling nearby, and the clouds shifted over their vision like gentle waves. Never had he envisioned this from the world he'd come from, or the books he'd seen. It filled him with such awe that he had a hard time catching his breath.

Law glanced over at him, noting his expression towards the outside. He looked for himself, feeling that maybe he should've been looking as well, appreciating the sights around him rather than completely focused on the turmoil inside of him. It almost felt as if he were cheating himself out of his life, ignoring the sights and wonders around him, rather than looking to the material things he felt desperate to have just to prove he was worth it, too.

The two of them just sat in silence for some time, both lost in their own thoughts and situation, neither of them thinking about the other. The Water Mite began moving again, touching the glass walls with tentative action, touching the lid with light taps before swirling around and around itself. It was as if Sanji had caught some sort of flying bug – maybe a lightening bug, or a bee. Law figured it'd die, soon, maybe deprived of oxygen, maybe a lack of water. He didn't know how Water Mites worked.

Sanji stood up from the chair, holding the glass within both hands. "I'm really grateful that it was you two I ran into. Both of you have shown me that there truly is kindness out there. You didn't have to do this. But you did, so…I'm indebted to you both."

Law wasn't sure how to explain his reasoning for going after him. But maybe he didn't have to. He held back on saying anything for that moment, considering the genuinely grateful look on the other man's face.

He then nodded because he had nothing to say. Then he looked again at Sanji's hand, remembering what he'd seen earlier. He reached out and caught the other man from leaving, straightening up from his chair. His hand was normal, again – as if what he'd seen had only been a trick of the eye.

"Hmm. Back to normal," he said, letting Sanji go, the man looking at his own hand in surprise. He didn't understand it himself, twisting it from side to side, bewildered that he hadn't even noticed when it had healed. Then he walked away, looking into the jar at the creature inside, wondering how to communicate with it.

It was after Zoro had finished reloading their flares when the herd suddenly began moving, their heads lifting with surprise. At that moment, he and Nami heard the rumbling of something heavy moving their way from up above. Amid the scared shrieks of the animals in movement, Nami wandered out _Merry's_ backside to see why the animals were racing away. She then looked up into the sky with a smile.

" _Finally_!" she exclaimed.

Law came back to them at that moment, holding a bottle of water in one hand, ears flattening with anxiety. Sanji watched their reactions with caution, hearing the noises outside, but because the three of them looked relaxed as they looked up into the sky, he felt they were in no danger.

Nami then disappeared from sight. The airship entered the atmosphere with a screech of sound, momentarily blocking out the sun. It caused the ground to rumble slightly, trees rustling noisily. The sound of its brakes pulling all its weight back to keep it from diving any further towards the planet surface grew as a loud roar, then settled to a dull crash of sound as the mass took to the sky with slow moving grace.

"They're finally here," Zoro said with a frown, scanning the area. " _Damn_. They're going to land in a bigger clearing than this. Once they do, we'll follow them."

"Don't worry, I've already given _Merry_ a lock in on their landing point. You can actually follow them in," Nami's voice rang out from the speakers around them.

"Then, let's go on our way."

: :

Sanji wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when Zoro landed the _Merry Go_ near the _Thousand Sunny_ , which dwarfed the craft considerably. It was a shinier, bigger version of _Merry_ – with yellow, brown, and a peach colored underbelly. It was the shape of a massive boat, and Sanji looked at it in awe because it reminded him of the boats he'd seen in his fairytale books. Their ramp lowered as Zoro and Law led the way out of _Merry_ , and Sanji cautiously followed after them, setting the Water Mite aside on a crate.

He heard loud voices, and felt a little apprehensive, uncertain whether or not he was invited to this, and he paused in mid-step. Hearing this, Law looked back at him and waved at him to join them as Zoro called out, "That wasn't very long! Did you have your foot on the gas the entire time?"

"This thing doesn't use gas, kiddo."

"Zoro! HI! Oh, _wow_ , it's been awhile since I last saw you!"

"We just saw each other a few days ago, Luffy, damn. _Don't_ jump. _Don't jump_!"

"We heard about everything! How awful! How the hell did you guys survive?"

"Look at _Merry_! Who the hell was driving her?"

"Everyone, this is Sanji," Law interrupted the five's excited yelling, four faces looking over with curiosity as Sanji looked at them nervously.

There was one hulking figure that was half man and half robot – a cyborg. But he wore only a dark green kimono robe with yellow ribbons dangling from the hem, and a Speedo. His blue hair was combed back into a middle part, braided just over his ears, joining two longer plaits that dangled over his massive shoulders. He had surprisingly long eyelashes, and hands that looked questionably useless for anything.

There was a very tall man with stark white hair, goggles pulled over his eyes, wearing an orange jumpsuit that opened to reveal a black button shirt, suspenders and blue pants with some sort of animal marking on it. He looked over with a light gasp, Sanji hearing him whisper, "Legolas!"

" _Right_?" Zoro said to him, pulling his head back from a smaller man that was enthusiastically hugging him. He had pointed black dog ears that immediately perked up as he turned away from Zoro. He wore a bright red shirt over what looked like black basketball shorts, arm warmers pulled up to mid-bicep, and a strawhat dangling at his neck.

The last man was very tall, but he seemed to lack anything human about him, other than he was wearing human robes, spindly legs encased in black leggings stuffed into leather boots. He wore a brilliantly floral scarf around his bony shoulders, and his black hair was allowed to flow freely from his skull, fluttering with the humid breeze that hit them all.

"Franky, Bepo, Luffy and Brook," Law said, pointing at each one.

"So _this_ is a Germa prince? Very unusual, so far from home, young man!" Brook commented lightly.

Luffy pulled away from Zoro, moving their way quickly. The way his ears lifted with interest, tail wagging fiercely, he looked as if he were going to pounce, canines openly visible with a wide smile. He gave a long inhale once he reached Sanji, who looked at Law apprehensively, automatically pulling back as the younger man's hands went to his hips, pulling himself up to sniff at his neck, hair.

"Dogs," Law muttered. "They need to smell everything."

"I'm just getting a feel of him, that's all. HI! Law! Look at you! Heard you got some mail the other day!" Luffy then said cheerily, pushing away from Sanji to go to him, and Law quickly held a foot out to stop him in mid-jump. 'Just let me do this! I just want to see what you guys were up to since the last time I saw you!"

"This is where words come in, not - !"

"I smell Zoro's been boozing, it's all over his sweat, that's not a surprise. And you've got smoke on you, from a fire. And then I smell you, and…you're full of chemicals," Luffy trailed off, looking puzzled. "I don't know chemicals too much. And you smell bad. I thought princes would smell all expensive and like, flowers. You smell more like a lot of trash -"

Self conscious, Sanji pulled away, subtly sniffing himself with worry. Law frowned at Luffy, then pushed him back as the man jumped on him with a hard hug.

"I missed you guys!" he exclaimed. "I felt like you guys were gone for such a long time! The shop's been so quiet!"

"But not that quiet," Franky said, looking at _Merry Go_ with his massive hands atop of his head. "Look at this mess! Who was driving? Because you suck, bro."

"Law was the one who managed to keep us from getting blown up," Zoro commented.

"Law!"

"I didn't want to die, so I drove," Law muttered, pushing Luffy away before turning to look at the bigger man. Luffy took that moment to jump on his back, pushing his face into his neck, smelling him. With discomfort, Law managed the few steps necessary towards Franky and Bepo, to look up at Merry. "It isn't that big of a deal. So it has some scrapes. At least it's intact and we're alive, goddamn it."

"For now! Nami's going to make you pay for this," Franky said grimly. He then reached out and ruffled Law's hair with affection, causing him to growl and yank back from him.

"For _what_? You can just paint over it!"

"Paint costs money, bro. Just smile at her, maybe she'll lower the price. Works for me, most of the time."

"I'll make sure she doesn't take all of it, buddy," Luffy whispered into one ear, causing Law to snarl, shaking him off immediately. Catching himself, Luffy looked up at _Merry_ with examination, lost interest, and caught sight of the Water Mite on a crate. He went running for it, yelling with excitement.

Brook was looking Sanji over, making curious noises. Sanji couldn't help but look at him with a terrified expression, uncertain of how the man existed without skin, without organs, without anything that made a person human.

"I do recognize those eyes. You are definitely Sanji, the third prince," he said, pushing his black hair from his face. "But how is it you're still alive, after your entire kingdom mourned your passing?"

Sanji looked at him with uncertainty, confused. "They…they did?"

"Yes. They were very sad to find that you had perished in the Red Sea."

"But I didn't."

"Obviously! You're alive and breathing, and won't your kingdom be so happy to know what you're alive! The reaction of your brothers and sister should be a good one!"

"Only thing about that, is that they were very disappointed about seeing him," Zoro said grimly. "Yonji's reaction was curious enough."

"They…really?"

"Germa's full of bigoted fools, anyway, and if you aren't like them, then what's the entire problem?" Franky asked, looking over at him curiously. "I'd say just use the _I'm Dead_ thing and keep your distance, let them forget about you."

"It won't happen, because they know he's alive," Zoro said firmly. "More than likely, the reason behind trying to kill him in the first place will be finished when they come back. So we're trying to dump him off quick."

Franky looked at him, hands on his hips. "You are never one to mince your words, are you?"

"I'm just saying what everyone is thinking."

"This came for you, Law," Bepo said, human face screwed up with anxious action, handing Law the battered piece of mail. He snatched it and strode away from the group, feeling his heart pound. Sweat built on his skin, more from his feelings and rampant thoughts than the humidity. Hearing their voices in the background, Bepo following after him with nail biting of his own, he opened the package.

He glanced inside, a little puzzled by the lack of anything in there, then shook it, hearing something rattling within. He upturned it onto his hand, and caught the flash of gold that fell out. Turning it upward on his palm, he frowned at the sight of the gold ring he'd given to his fiancé.

His world seemed to crumble under his feet. For a few moments, all he heard was blood rushing to his face. Something slipped in the package, catching his attention, so he reached in and found a slip of paper, no bigger than a post-it. He looked it over, ears flicking slightly, momentarily rattled by the gesture and the content.

All that was written on it was, "I'm keeping the money! Sucker!"

" _Foxes_ ," he heard Zoro mutter bitterly over his shoulder.

"That's not nice," Franky said with a disapproving frown.

"What a horrible person!" Bepo muttered.

"Sounds like you dodged a bullet," Brook observed.

Luffy poked his head between Zoro and Bepo, looking up at him with concern.

"What happened? Does this mean you'll stay with us, then? That's good, right? I'm happy about it!"

Law lowered the note and the remains of the letter package, reddening with their prying eyes all around him, their suffocating closeness to his person. His fur bristled, and his teeth showed slowly with a growl. He was trying to accept the circumstances, but these men were so crowded around him that he felt he couldn't breathe.

He shoved the ring into his pants pocket and then stomped off, tail slashing behind him. Zoro caught Luffy by the collar of his shirt and drew him back, Franky hugging them all to him as they intended to follow him. Most of them managed awkward grunts and forced exhalations of air as he held them all in a group hug. Ignoring their undignified protests, he picked them up and turned them to face the ships.

"Give him a few minutes, guys," he said gently. "Let him take some time to himself, it looks like he is really disappointed. When he's ready to talk about it, he'll come back to us. Just let him get some air."

"Your hair is all over in my face," Zoro growled, blowing one of his braids away, crammed in tightly between Franky's biceps and Bepo's shoulder.

"I used to hate it, but it kinda grew on me," Franky commented, ushering them back towards the ships. "Get it? Haha. _Man_."

"Your dad jokes are worse than ever, and I didn't miss them at all!"


	10. Star Maps

**A/N: Uploading has been a severe headache. Here's hoping i can continue to post bigger chapters.  
**

 **Saemoon: Oh, they'll have time to deal with Law's backstory when it hits current events : ) Thank you for reading, and taking the time to comment!**

 **PandaBlackwhite: Made me lol 'foxy betrayal'! Swiper, no Swiping! XD The fox's deception will catch up...soon. Enjoy his sweetness for the time being D:**

 **moony-f: I really like your name. It makes me think of things unrelated to it :D This chapter probably puts an extra layer of sugar on that roll!**

 **To everyone reading: Don't be afraid to drop me a line if you catch something, or if something just sounds...wrong. ahha! I love to hear what people think, good or bad!**

 **10: Star Maps  
**

As the temperatures began to drop, the stars shining just beyond the blue of the sky, the world around them began to change subtly. The trees began to close up their branches, the slow movement only noticeable if one were looking. Smaller wildlife began looking for warmth to hide from the frost, and the wind seemed to blow harshly with soft whistles.

The crew together was a loud, rambunctious bunch. All of them explored the area within safe parameters, and admired the planet's peaceful tranquility with loud shouts. Luffy immediately went fishing, and wandered off to the river with his rod and bag, finding a place where rocks jutted outward in a tilting formation of disk-like shapes. The water below flowed gently, fish sparkling as they twisted and turned within softly formed ridges of rock. He rocked his feet with a happy expression, tail wagging in delight as he saw his reflection in the water. Franky looked _Merry_ over, popping out tools from a huge, chest-like box that he carted easily from Sunny to outside.

Brook provided some easygoing music from a small box, and Bepo worked alongside Franky to give him whatever it was he needed to have the craft in working use. From below, Zoro provided what he needed to whenever Franky asked, drinking from a can that came from a refrigerator on Sunny. Occasionally, Nami would appear, but it would be brief, and only upon their insistence.

Sanji sat silently on a stump, holding the jar between his ankles, and watched them interact with a thoughtful expression. Everyone was so cheery, animated and lively, with seemingly no aggression to their actions at all. They cursed each other good naturedly, and laughed when they managed to fluster their target. Their attitudes were so carefree that Sanji wondered if he and his siblings had ever looked like this in front of those residing at the castle with them. If they had ever gotten along this well.

There had been moments when Ichiji had spoken to him without insults, and Niji had touched him without violence, and Yonji without challenge. Reiju would smile at him and walk beside him without accompanying their mean words, and it was those moments that Sanji thought about the most. He'd often watch them interact with each other with all the carefree cheer that these men had for each other, quietly yearning to be included from a safe distance.

He found himself wondering, for the countless time, why they chose to reject him from their circle.

He thought about how easily these men would be slaughtered under the Vinsmokes' hands. How easily his siblings could render them into human mush, then turn around and force him to look at their broken bodies. He thought about how easy Zeff could crumble under a punch, the older man having no chance against youth, strength and savagery. He felt sick at the thought of causing their deaths with the selfish desire to get out from the dungeons, to see worlds like this one.

Looking around himself, he noted the way vines crisscrossed each other anxiously, reacting to loud laughter. The way the birds with the shiny heads alighted onto the _Sunny_ and stared down at the movement below, barking softly. He felt it was odd that they didn't see much more than creatures like these, small and safe, compared to the horse-sized animals in the sky. He inhaled deeply of the fresh air, then picked up the jar, examining the creature inside. The orange nucleus seemed to stare back at him, tiny paws on the glass, watery shape slithering around it with a gentle slosh.

"What you got there, buddy?" he heard Luffy ask from behind him, carrying a basketful of fish that glittered under the fading sunlight. The bright orb was slowly dipping behind some mountain tops, leaving an intense chill in the air that caused their skin to prickle with goosebumps.

His voice was happy, cheerful, leaving no room for anything else. His black tail was long and short-haired, and his ears twitched at the sounds of the men's laughter ahead of them. They were pointed at the tips, cut fashionably, which made Sanji wonder who would modify an animal like him.

He looked at Sanji with nothing more than cheered interest, so young and bright, and Sanji stared up at him with consideration, remembering the fondness the two catmen had for him. He wasn't sure what to say, or how to conduct himself with someone so young and carefree. So his eyebrows furrowed together, and he considered the Water Mite once more.

"It just looked sad," he said awkwardly. "Knowing it was going to die."

"It's a _pest_ ," Luffy insisted gently. "It eats up all the water. Franky said you guys were really low on fresh water, that's why Zoro had you bottling some up from the river."

"But how could you look something in its face while taking its life away?" Sanji asked curiously, holding the jar close to him.

"I don't know. Survival of the fittest, I guess? Plus, it's either you or them, and if you're in the middle of deep space with no water, I guess it can get a little messy," Luffy said, fiddling with his fishing rod.

Sanji thought about his answer. 'Survival of the fittest'. He wondered if his father had ever said something to that effect to them, before. He'd always stressed a quick answer to an uprising, in a merciless display of power. Was it appropriate to label their lifestyle as so, or was it only a cruel tactic to pick on those lesser trained or prepared than them?

"Are you one of those people who won't hurt a fly?" Luffy asked. "Because I don't know how to behave around that type of thing. I like to kill things just to ensure I have a nice way of life, you know?"

Sanji thought about his words, looking up at him with silent consideration. He decided he didn't like what he'd said, comparing it to his father's actions. The Germa Empire had killed smaller ones just to make way for their own action, or to prove a point – for a 'nice way of life'.

He looked down at the Water Mite, watching its paws tap gently at the lid, at the walls, before diving underneath itself and touching the bottom.

"I never noticed it had _hands_!" Luffy exclaimed, crouching to look at it. "It's always a slimy shape – and it looks like a jelly bean in the middle!"

"My father enjoyed killing things for fun," Sanji said quietly. "Sometimes, we'd have to watch. Just to ensure that our 'cold blood' ran the same as his. If we could kill a defenseless thing without hesitation, then we could be relied upon in the battlefield. Do you agree to this?"

"Ugh, _no_ ," Luffy said, straightening up with a look of disgust. "Definitely not! Like, what kind of things? Like puppies and kittens and lizards and stuff?"

"They were clones."

"'Clones'?"

"Replicas, built and grown human beings made to serve Germa."

"So…would you?"

"No. That was…one of the tasks where I could not," Sanji muttered. "Because they looked, breathed and seemed like people. Because they cried out when they were hurt, and they laughed when they found something funny. To lift a hand against them was…not right."

"But that sort of thinking doesn't apply to pests," Luffy insisted. "You're talking about people. I'm talking about things."

"But how are they just _things_? Because they don't live like us?"

Luffy stared at him for a few moments, then scrunched his eyebrows together, thinking about it. "That's an intense question. I never thought about it, before. Really, from my planet, if you have mice and rats running around, it's never a healthy place to be. Humans are a different situation for me. Of course I feel sympathy! I don't like it when I see someone weaker being picked on, or an injustice…I just feel that humans are more important than animals."

"Which is ironic, coming from a half dog…"

"You know what I mean!" Luffy said with a laugh.

Sanji didn't know what to say for a few moments, then he held the jar under one arm, rising up to his feet.

"Zoro and Law speak of you with much respect," he said slowly. "I'd like to see in you what they do, for this short amount of time."

Luffy's eyes widened significantly at hearing this. Franky shouted at them to come back to the Sunny, Bepo hollering for Law. The sun had disappeared completely, leaving behind only blazing colors against the falling black of the night sky, and the two moons in the far right of them were just starting to rise up from the horizon. The stars sparkled brilliantly, this time, the ones closer to the planet burning with such intensity that they were reliable light sources of their own.

"They…respect me?" Luffy repeated in awe, tail wagging with delight. " _Really_? They've said nice things about me?"

"Um… _yes_ …" Trailing off, Sanji then looked at the jar with consideration. Then he pulled the tape off, and began walking back towards the river. Luffy watched him go, then waved at Franky as he repeated his shout. The temperature drop was enough for him to see his breath, but Luffy watched as Sanji dropped the Water Mite into the river, the creature splashing into the cold water without much fanfare.

Then the pair of them began walking back to the ship.

: :

Inside, the Thousand Sunny was spacious and bright – almost everywhere Sanji looked, the walls were colored outrageously, and it looked more like a playhouse than a space ship. While all pieces of furniture were mounted down tight, anchored to the walls, it was their taste of decoration that made him reconsider his faith in their survival.

The entry way was outfitted in metal, and the walkway was marred with wear and tear. But once inside, he walked right into a storage area, where the walls were outfitted with different shapes and sizes of compartments, all painted and decorated in bright colors, with silly designs. There were lockers that each of them decorated with their names, rendered with personal effects with marker or spray paint. There were clear cubbies with safety supplies, with quick to reach emergency needs.

Bepo was pulling on a pilot's suit, and Franky was stuffing himself into a jumpsuit. Zoro led the way into another corridor that looped around the entire ship, and made a left. The round design of the main body opened up to spaces without visible doors. There were two levels where each man, aside from Franky and Brook, could walk without having to bend down to do so. The bottom panels of the walkway felt hollow.

The walls were splashed with turquoise and white – all varying in design with each separator they came to. Zoro turned left, meandering into a very wide open living space, complete with comfortable couches, what looked like beds, all facing three different walls with monitor displays. There were cubbies in the walls that pulled out with a tap of the hand, and the ceiling was a brilliant display of what looked to be fish, swimming casually in brilliant blue water.

Sanji was captivated by that, wandering away from the others to look up with awe. Different species of fish floated about, meandering through fake coral walls. Lights were visible from within rocky crevices, illuminating it. The air inside the ship was recycled and a little odd smelling, and he turned around himself, observing the living space with examination.

He wandered through a doorway to the left and emerged into the corridor once more, where it opened to another that moved into a stairway that disappeared up and down. While no part of the ship was nothing like the gleaming structure of any Germa owned ship, it was cozy and welcoming. He saw Bepo take the stairway down, humming to himself, his goggles pushed up into his white hair. His pink eyes and light eyebrows were rounded with concentration, and Sanji heard Brook bellow for Law one more time from the ramp way.

"He's sulking in _Merry Go_ ," Nami said, appearing suddenly in the living area, swiping her hair from her face. "Leave him alone, for awhile. He'll make his way over when he gets hungry."

"Such a _baby_ ," Zoro complained from one of the couches. "I told him not to expect anything!"

"Law is in actuality a very positive guy," Bepo's voice said from over the speakers of the ship, where it shuddered briefly before Sanji felt the unsettling sensation of it lifting from the surface. "He's a secret optimist."

"He's a pampered princess! And it's good that the fox left him high and dry, because foxes are the trash dumps of society."

"And tigers aren't?" Nami asked smartly.

"We're just awesome and wanted hard for our majestic ferociousness."

"Zoro, dude, honestly? I love your confidence, but sometimes I wonder if you overdo it, sometimes," Franky commented, zipping up his jumpsuit. "I'm going outside to make sure _Merry_ attaches correctly to _Sunny_. Brook said he'll start dinner."

"How can you 'overdo' your own self confidence? This concept is foreign, to me."

"I'm starving!" Luffy cried from somewhere above their heads. Sanji ventured away from that area to look at the bright walls, finding a corridor that led off to his right. In that area was a large hall, and narrow doorways. A glance inside a couple of them told him that they were bedrooms. While they were stocked with basic furniture, the men had left behind personal effects that made it theirs.

He wandered back to the main corridor, and took to the stairway. Up there, he discovered one wide room filled with monitor panels, with a window to the outside, showing off the bright night sky with double moons. After some study, he realized it was only one moon – the other looked to be an industrial spacecraft that blinked with moving lights. The room across from this one, over the stairway, was a room filled with shelves, with tools, other random items of interest to the men on board. He wandered in that direction, looking at the glass shelves of books that were haphazardly placed. Some of them were novels, some picture books, others maps of the various worlds they'd visited. Others were rolls of paper, thick comic books, what looked to be gaming systems with books of games next to them. There were wooden weapons on the walls, weights, tool boxes carved into the walls, and what looked to be practice dummies rolling around on the floor. There were posters of martial artists on the walls, with alien warriors in full armor, with moving movie scenes moving from one frame to the other.

The ship shuddered again, and he heard Bepo say cheerfully, " _Merry_ is attached! We're a go!"

"Let's leave this place, boys," Nami said, and she appeared moments later in front of Sanji, while her voice continued to address the others in the room away from this one. "He's set to pick you up in the southern quadrant of this galaxy. It should only take a few hours to get there."

"Thank you," Sanji said with a smile of relief. But once she was gone, he felt his face fall heavily with apprehension, thinking that it was too easy.

: :

Dinner was at a battered table in the middle of an oval shaped room, where the seats were attached to the floor, and the cushions at each chair were different designs and textures, each man with a personal favorite of their own. Their food was reheated bread, fish Luffy had caught earlier, smaller side dishes that looked vaguely burnt. Law had returned, his expression giving none of the men any want to say anything to him regarding the letter, but the fact that he was there spoke volumes to Sanji. Aware of how he looked to others, Sanji took his time to eat, despite his desperate instinct to shovel everything in. He looked to Law and Zoro for cues, keeping his mouth occupied as the group ate in silence, using their utensils roughly.

But the atmosphere was so warm and cozy that he felt uncomfortable because he couldn't fit in. By the time Luffy was finished with his tray, he grabbed the last of the bread rolls sitting in the center of the table. His mouth opened far too wide for a human being, and Sanji caught himself staring in reaction. Then Luffy reached across the table and snatched up Brook's abandoned peas, and Sanji nearly choked on his fish seeing his arm stretch that way.

"He ate a devil fruit," Law told him sourly, stabbing Luffy's hand when it ventured too close to his tray. "It allowed his body to become rubber."

"I've only read about the devil fruit," Sanji said quietly, thinking of the encyclopedia he used to look at when he was a child. In awe over Luffy's stretching abilities, he was distracted from his food. "I never thought I'd see such a user."

"So, Sanji, tell us," Brook said, lowering his fork, patting his teeth with a napkin. "How is it you came to be after that nonsense about your death?"

"It's not really something that's important," Law said before Sanji could speak up, looking at him with a startled frown. "The less you people know about it, the easier it will be to deal with."

"But I'm asking _him_ , not you," Brook said.

"Trust us, it's best left the way it is," Zoro said, opening another can of beer.

"I know we're going to drop him off, but that doesn't mean his story isn't important to us," Luffy said with a cross frown, wiping with his mouth with the back of his hand. "Let him talk."

"The gist of it is, that his family locked him into a dungeon as a child. He found a way out, and now he's looking to be free by running away with this Zeff character, who so nicely offered to take him, no questions asked, " Law said.

"How young of an age?" Luffy asked with concern, looking at Sanji with sympathy, the man looking Law for some sort of cue to begin speaking on his own.

Law's ears twitched, as he stuffed his mouth with the last of his fish, grumbling, "Young enough to where he's very socially awkward. So I'd appreciate it if you people didn't say anything openly judgmental about his behavior, because he takes it very personally."

" _Reow_ ," Franky murmured, looking at him with a lifted eyebrow, then Sanji, who looked embarrassed by the mention.

Luffy's eyes narrowed as he looked across the table at Law, then at Zoro, who studied the ceiling. He then looked at Sanji, who looked a little lost, unsure of what to say as the others shifted in their seats with noticeable discomfort. Sensing the slight tension, he was once again looking at the two catmen for cues.

"I think his translator's on the fritz, so talking to him is pointless," Law added, halving his potatoes and giving them to Sanji.

"It sounds like bullshit, to me," Luffy stated with a stiff tone.

"If those Germa bastards catch up to us, which they most likely will, the less you know, the better," Zoro said to him, leaning on the table with one elbow, more into drinking than he was eating. He shoved his tray across to Law, who methodically halved most of it to give to Sanji, taking more potatoes for himself before passing it back to him. "It's best that we talk as little of it as possible to avoid any further danger to all of you."

"Any kind of danger sounds bad," Bepo said with worry, eyes wide.

Luffy studied Sanji for a few moments, the man looking at Law and Zoro with a glow of realization in his eyes. Then he lowered his head to eat more, shoveling in most of it with a hungry expression.

Drumming his fingertips atop of the table, Luffy narrowed his eyes and frowned at the three of them.

"Then why are we doing this? Why are we going out of our way to drop off someone we don't even know to some _guy_ we don't even know, and making the huge effort to cross galaxies to avoid some people?" he asked slowly, eyebrows lifting. "Why are you two making the effort on a complete stranger?"

"This is going to be good," Franky muttered.

"Because we're nice people," Zoro answered.

"You're not 'nice' Zoro. So, what's the deal, here?"

"For one, we don't need to explain ourselves. Why should we? We're just doing it," Zoro said firmly, setting the empty can aside to start eating.

"Extra good karma," Law added.

"You guys need it," Brook pointed out.

"Sanji. When we talked about pests, what was it you said?" Luffy then asked, looking right at him. "'But how are they just _things_?' I'm pretty sure that's what you said."

"Oh, guess his translator works after all," Franky muttered, slurping down the rest of his Coke.

"And that's not something those two believe in," Luffy continued, eyes still narrowed. "Zoro makes a game out of killing things, and Law likes to take them apart. So how is it you wound up with two men that take pests' lives lightly?"

Zoro gestured at Sanji with a finger. "He looks like Legolas!"

"So?"

"If I save Legolas, I save the forest!"

" _What_ forest?" Luffy asked with concern while Law wiped his face with exasperation, Sanji looking at the tiger with confusion.

"Look, I stand by what he said earlier. The less you know, the easier it is to let him go," Law said, then tightened his lips with the mistake.

" _Oh_? Why? Why would it be easier? He has somewhere he wants to go, so…if he wants to go, he can," Luffy said, with clear bewilderment to his face.

"This is getting more and more interesting, watching you two dunderheads try to talk your way out of this one," Franky commented lightly. "It's just, when it comes to compassion and sympathy to others, you two are the last of them to have it."

Luffy leaned forward in his chair, asking "So, Sanji, tell us. You were locked up in a cell for _how_ many years?"

Sanji looked to the two catmen for guidance, seeing Zoro's sullen gesture at him to reply. He then answered quietly, "Since I was eight."

"Okay, and… _why_?"

"Because I am a failure."

"What do you mean?"

Sanji took a few moments to compose the explanation in his head, drawing the tines of his fork over the tray to scoop up the last of it. Then he spoke with a concentrative expression, "All of us were modified at a very young age to be the ultimate warrior in an army built to destroy any opposition. Because I didn't perform very well alongside my siblings, father decided that he…he had hoped by placing me away from human contact that I would develop the necessary passion to be on their level."

"'Modified', huh? As in genetically enhanced with superhuman abilities?" Franky asked curiously.

"Yes."

"And you have none of these?"

"No," Sanji answered regretfully. His expression turned troubled, inwardly feeling the weight of this on his chest. "I…I'm normal."

"To some degree," Law said quickly. "He has interesting regenerative abilities."

"Yeah, he heals real fast and stuff," Zoro chimed in.

Franky found it amusing how quick the catmen were to say anything at this point. He also found it interesting how Sanji's eyes seemed to linger on them before he returned his attention to them. It was almost too intimate of a look, like an animal seeking comfort at the hands of its owner.

Luffy fiddled with his fork. "But I don't understand why he would do that. What was he expecting you to do?"

"He felt I was too 'soft' to become what he'd wanted. When he realized that I wasn't going to change, he broke my back so that I would die knowing what a failure I was to him. But instead, I ate trash from the nearby disposal tunnel and rats would – "

Law cleared his throat noisily, cutting Sanji off. After a lingering glance at him, Sanji said, "Bring me food from the castle to eat, as well. Which is why I think fondly of pests. They were the only friends I had."

"No…no human contact at all?" Luffy asked slowly. "For…since you were eight?"

"Yes. They didn't know I'd survived."

"You have siblings. Why - didn't they know you were missing?"

"They did not care too much for me."

"Then how did you get out?"

"I'm not very clear on the circumstances…"

Luffy stared at him for several long moments. The others just looked disturbed.

"So…you think that once you reach Zeff, it'll be all right?" he asked tentatively. "But isn't he an old man?"

"Yes."

"So if they were to catch up to you two after that, what will happen?"

"More than likely, he will perish under their hands, and I'm pretty sure they'll eventually kill me, too."

"And this is _acceptable_ to you guys?" Luffy asked Law and Zoro incredulously.

Zoro gestured with his beer can, having retrieved another while Sanji was speaking. "Look, Luffy, space is huge. And from what Zeff said to us, it appears he has it covered. This guy has enough common sense to accept the possibilities, and the old man does, too."

Scratching his chin, Law muttered, "We were well aware of the consequences, but it wasn't like we were going to turn it away, either."

Luffy looked at both of them with consideration, then back at Sanji. "Why would your father do that?" he asked softly. "To a kid? At that age, I was busy having adventures with my brothers, and my grandfather would be stern, but we were rambunctious. For a grown man to deliberately put his own kid in a cell because he wasn't like the others…that's unfair."

"Germa is about strength and the display of power. The only thing that I've yet to understand is why he didn't eliminate me in the first place. I feel that maybe he had some compassion inside of him that stopped him, instead."

Outraged, Luffy snapped, "That man has _no_ compassion if he did all these things to you! All it was pure evil!"

"Maybe I reminded him too much of my mother, and he couldn't bear to do so. As a child, he never put his hands on me."

"How could you even _make_ excuses like that?"

After looking at the two catmen for signs of trouble, seeing that they weren't bothered by the rise of the teen's voice, Sanji answered stiffly, "They're not 'excuses'. I just feel that he couldn't do so directly because I...must remind him of her. He was always angry that I tried to follow her example after her death."

Luffy continued to stare at him incredulously, the others unable to say a thing. Their expressions of compassion and horror had left them all speechless. Zoro just tightened his lips and stared at his food tray, Law watching Luffy's reaction unfold.

"Aren't you _angry_ about it?"

"I don't know if I am, just yet. Right now, I'm just in awe of the outside world. It's all so bright and beautiful. And breathing fresh air was something I never thought I'd be able to do. And those clear waters of the river was just – there was nothing like it on Germa. I had never seen so much green, so many colors!"

Luffy stared at him incredulously, unable to understand how Sanji could smile so radiantly just talking about those things. "Well, _I'm_ angry! And I'm angry that you two thought it would be acceptable to just let him go like this!"

"This is all _your_ fault," Zoro told Law.

" _You're_ the one that opened the box."

"How could you two, _two grown catmen_ , even _think_ lightly of the situation?" Luffy barked at both of them, growling deep in his throat, ears flattened.

"C'mon, Luffy, look – his mind is set on Zeff. Zeff is set on taking him. And space is huge! With how old that man is, I'm pretty sure he has every trick up his sleeve to staying out of their reach," Zoro said. "I'm leaving it at that."

"But we're younger! We're _stronger_ \- !"

Interrupting firmly, Sanji said, "I'd rather go to Zeff, if he'll take me. If not, I will…go out on my own. I know my family, and I know how they can be. It was painful seeing these two fall under Yonji's fists."

"You're an asshole for continuing to bring that up," Zoro told him. "Why do you keep forcing me to relive that part of my life?"

Sanji immediately looked remorseful, fingers to his lips. "I apologize…"

"He's not serious, he's just being an ass," Law told him. Sanji looked confused, watching Zoro pull a long drink for his can, trying to understand the sarcasm.

"I just don't think - !"

" _Look_!" Zoro then shouted over Luffy's rising voice, "this is what he wants to do! If he wants to do this on his own, let him do this. Why follow in his father's footsteps and demand that you do something for him because you feel he's inadequate at it?"

Luffy settled back in his seat, and then glared at his empty tray for some seconds, drumming his fingertips atop of the table. Sanji stared at him with worry, then glanced at the others, seeing their reaction as something reluctant, hard, and Zoro was glaring over at Luffy, ears flicking. He wasn't sure of the tension, unclear on the heaviness that had settled over them. So he looked at Law for guidance.

Leaning over, Law explained quietly, "He wants to help you, and feels we're a better fit than Zeff when it comes to your family's interference. He's mad at us for taking the situation 'lightly'."

For a few moments, Sanji processed that, then said to Luffy, "It'll be okay. All that matters to me right now is that you escape unharmed. Because you will die if you continue to fight for me."

"But that's not right! And it's not fair! No one should be denied their basic human rights! Especially by their own family! I can't imagine any father wanting that for their own flesh-and-blood!"

"But that's Germa. Not every world is your world."

"I can see why you guys tried so hard with a lame ass story," Franky muttered, shaking his bottle.

"Come," Law said to Sanji with a heavy sigh. "One more check-up. We should be almost there."

Sanji rose from his chair with him, then gave a light bow to them. "Thank you for your kindness. This food was delicious."

Luffy watched them leave, his expression heavy with a frown. He looked at Zoro, narrowing his eyes.

"Look, that's just how it is," Zoro said. "To be honest? We wrestled with this thing the entire way. At first we tried not to care, but it just…turned this way without us realizing it."

Luffy crossed his arms tightly over his chest, his face heavy. All of them looked at him cautiously, judging his mood.

"When do you think he was released from that prison?" he asked.

Zoro shrugged. "I don't even know. At the time, he wasn't this functional. He's improved significantly since Law stuffed him into the regenerator. But I'm guessing he wasn't in that box for very long."

"And he was headed right for Zeff?"

"Someone was mailing him right to the East Blue. I don't know if it were to Zeff. He had a picture on him, and Nami was the one to contact him. Zeff had no idea he was coming."

"You don't _mail_ people in the mail."

"You don't, but that's where he was going."

"How was he supposed to _survive_ locked up in a box?"

"He was able to remove the lid."

"So it _wasn't_ a box."

"We think it was an inside job. Someone knew he was down there, and smuggled him out. Whoever it was spoke to him, but they'd disguised their voice."

"Why would you guys lie about it?" Luffy asked incredulously.

"We knew you'd try to keep him."

Luffy processed those words, and then shrugged lightly.

"We don't like the situation, either, Luffy, but Zeff took custody immediately once he saw him. And Sanji is set on reuniting with him."

Luffy's cheeks blew out with held breath, and he glared at the tabletop once more. Franky watched him, and Bepo chewed as slowly as possible without making any noise. Brook sipped at his milk.

"We're a transporting business, we deliver shit. We don't save other humans from evil fathers. Next time, we'll be a lot more careful about what we're accepting," Zoro said firmly.

"Why do you think we can take on an Empire?" Franky asked Luffy curiously. "If these guys were trying to kill him in the first place, why are you trying to be involved?"

"I guess I'm not, but I'm just…upset by the circumstances involved."

"Once we drop him off, that's it," Zoro insisted. "Stop being curious."

With a stubborn expression, Luffy crossed his arms over his chest, and scowled at his tray. "If this guy, this brother of his was so powerful, then how did you guys escape him?"

"Oh, uh…Sanji, uh, hit him with one of my empty bottles. Totally embarrassing."

"So, instead of you guys saving him, he saved you?"

"…Sort of."

Luffy looked over at Zoro with consideration, and Zoro reddened and looked in the other direction.

Franky saw that Luffy was not about to let the subject go any time, soon. "Whose turn is it to clear off the table?"

"Goddamn. Mine."

Grumbling, Luffy hopped off his chair and began snatching up their trays and utensils, pulling Brook's fork from his mouth and grabbing Bepo's cup in mid-lift. Then he stomped to the kitchen, tail lifted in aggression.

Franky leaned over the table, a speculative smirk on his face. "Did any of you catch the tension between those two?"

"I did _not_ want to say it, first!" Bepo cried.

"I thought I saw it, I was ready to get my eyes checked, but I remembered I didn't have any eyes."

"Oh, man, I thought I was seeing things for a second! I didn't want to be the only one thinking that!"

"What ' _tension'_?" Zoro asked, bewildered. "Between _who_? I saw or felt nothing!"

"Don't worry, bro. I keep a keen eye on all my sons."

"We're not your damn children! Get out of that fantasy!"

: :

Looking over the information that appeared as the scanner ran over Sanji's still form, Law noticed a significant improvement to the man's health after the last time he'd performed the task. He touched a couple of the screens, watching as they rebuilt into 3D form away from the find. Once the scanner stopped moving, Sanji straightened up and looked at the screens for himself.

"Your heart rate decreased. It's not working so hard. Your circulatory system is running normally, and isn't having trouble reaching your extremities. As we speak, your bone density is still building – here, there is no trace of the work I'd performed on your back, earlier."

"I've always healed fast."

"When was the last time you consumed a certain meat?"

"I can't remember."

Satisfied with his finds, Law closed out the screens, then pushed the scanner to the side, reaching for a nearby drawer. Inside, he pushed in a key-code that opened up a smaller chest from within the wall, the refrigerator items inside being propped up.

"I'm going to administer a couple of immunity system boosters, just in case. We've all had them, to protect us against space related illness. Your composition seems near identical to us."

"Oh, I don't like these," Sanji complained, frowning at the small tubes that he was fitting into a double ended cylinder. He wiggled with discomfort.

"It doesn't hurt that bad."

As Law prepped him with a patient expression, Sanji looked around himself. The circular composition of the room allowed for enough standing room for both of them, for a couple of beds, and a larger regenerator than the one on _Merry_. Someone had slapped a poster of a kitten hanging from a tree with some sort of word bubble emerging from its mouth on the ceiling.

"I really like this ship. It's really great! There's a lot of fun patterns, and it looks like a playhouse."

"No one takes this place seriously," Law muttered, a little embarrassed, glancing upward. Once he administered the shots, he carefully tapped over the areas with band-aids that had superheroes on them, Sanji marveling over them loudly.

"You all get along so wonderfully," Sanji then said, swinging his feet idly as he fixed his sleeve. "It was as if you were all pulled from a page of a book!"

"It's not always like this. There's usually a lot more yelling, challenging, crying and whining. When you reach Zeff, I want you to give him this. This is all the records that I have from the moment I started treating you," Law then said, reaching for one of the panels nearby, depressing a button and pulling out a small, metallic tube. He handed it to Sanji, who examined it curiously. "He should know how to look at it."

After sliding it into his pants pocket, Sanji then watched him put things away. He felt warm inside, skin tingling with awareness. When he looked at both Law and Zoro, he felt things he never felt, before, and couldn't exactly place what it was. it was almost as if they were at the river again, but he was admiring them for their presence, for the way each individual presented themselves to others. He liked Zoro's imposing gruffness with his friends, and he liked Law's quiet grumbles when forced to answer something. He liked looking at them, their movement quick and graceful, avoiding Luffy's hugs and investigative noses in the neck.

He thought he would feel the same for the others, but there was something different with those two that made him feeling ultra-aware. Maybe he was only admiring them for being men, but he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Feeling his face heat with some unidentifiable thing, he said, "I'm going to miss you guys."

"You'll forget about us soon enough," Law assured him, tail flicking. "There's a lot out there you'll experience, more people to meet."

"I suppose…and I'm sorry things didn't work out with your marriage. I know you were looking forward to it," Sanji said cautiously, watching him stiffen up near the bookshelf. "But there's always another. Like you said."

"No…that was the end of it."

"Marriage is icky, anyway, right? Because that means you have to take care of them, and mistresses, and I don't think you'd do well by it. You don't seem like the type to like a lot of people."

"Me? 'Mistresses'?" Law asked with some amusement. "You think I'd be that popular?"

"Father had four of them. I don't know if he loved my mother, but he had enough love for all of them."

Law wasn't sure how to take that, eyebrows furrowing as he looked back at Sanji for some clarification. He was busy chewing on his nails, which were long and ragged, dirty underneath. He found the nail clippers, and set to clipping them, Sanji pausing his feet in mid-swing. Then he looked up at the catman's face, feeling his face warm from within. He liked the way Law concentrated on the task, the slight frown of his lips, the way his ears flicked. He liked the way he smelled, and the feel of his hands on his. He suddenly realized he liked it _too_ much, and was too aware of him, and quickly jerked his hand back.

"Sorry, did I cut too deep?"

"No. I just…feel _funny_."

Law was positive Sanji's reactions were only to the fact that it had been some time since someone touched him. Since anybody put their hands on him with kindness. He was sure Sanji's confusion would straighten out with time, and he gave it no other thought. He reached out and took his hand once more, saying, "It's fine. It's just us, in here."

Biting his lip, trying to think of something different, Sanji pulled his shirt over his lap with embarrassment. Then said awkwardly, "Maybe I will run into you guys another time."

"Space is a big place."

"I don't even know where you come from."

"We travel everywhere, but our base is a very small planet off the calm belt of the universe."

"What's a 'calm belt'?"

"The universe, so far, is broken up into four quadrants. When I refer to the calm belt, it is a sector off the main grid of the star map. Largely ignored because it's not as useful to others."

"I don't know this 'star map'."

After finished with his nails, Law set them aside. Then reached into his vest pocket, looking at the ring he'd had returned to him. It was a dull black, wide, with a snowy center to it, onyx spots spotted through the white. A press with his thumb and index finger caused a wide spectrum of stars to pop up around them within a wide spread, and Sanji looked around himself with an awed expression. All around him were brilliant speckles of color, moving shapes, orbiting systems with clear labels on them. While the colors of all systems varied, most of it was blue, and separated into four quadrants. It took Law a couple of steps to point out a blinking red point, to which he touched, bringing up the galaxy they were currently coasting through.

"This is the star map. It is the most current version of our universe as we know it. Here is the East Blue, the North Blue, the West, so on. This is the calm belt," he added, pointing over a strip of black where all the quadrants met. Tapping it allowed that system to come up, emerging as a brilliant, spinning spiral of glowing pink and white light. Another touch had Earth spinning in place, warped by years of advanced global warming. "This is where we come from. The Milky Way. This red, here, this is me."

"From a _ring_?" Sanji asked with clear amazement, studying the map with a wondrous expression. When he reached out to touch various sections, they shifted and changed to allow him to draw up other systems. The star map was like a 3D book, and he could spend hours looking through it.

"We can pay to use our DNA, ordinarily fingernail clippings, to create this ring. Within anywhere in the star map's powers, we can be found. The ring will guide you to that person. It usually vibrates with the beat of their heart once you grow close. The technology that allows the star map's qualities is connected to the universal database, so it will always register the owner's life force and location, no matter where you are."

Another depression of the ring, and the star map disappeared. Sanji looked at him with amazement, reeling from how big the universe was. Law looked at the ring, feeling deep disappointment all over again. The ring was fitted for his fiancé's finger. But since his plans had fallen through with the fox's deception, he had no use for it, anymore. With the way the situation looked, the ring would disappear soon when he was called to return home.

Knowing that it wasn't going to last, he held it out to Sanji to take. "If you ever decide to make your way to see us, this is the way to do it. But please remember where I showed you where we are, in the event that it disappears."

"You don't need it?" Sanji asked, taking it, examining it with wonder. "I _promise,_ I won't lose it."

"…No. I don't need it, anymore."

"Then, use these to make mine," Sanji said excitedly, gesturing at his fingernail clippings nearby. "Maybe one day we can meet up again, okay?"

Law looked at him, knowing it wasn't going to happen. There were circumstances between them that would prevent it, especially in his future. But he nodded, brushing the clippings carefully into his cupped hand. He put them into a small container, then tossed it into a drawer near the bookshelf.

"I will," he said, not making any promises.

"I'm already looking forward to seeing you again!" Sanji said brightly, holding the ring carefully within one hand before tucking it into his pants pocket. He wondered why Law's slight smile didn't reach his eyes. He reached out and cupped his face within both hands, much like how his mother used to do with him, peering into his face with a forced frown. "How can we turn this frown upside down?"

"You're a man, now, so saying that is pretty stupid," Law said, pulling away immediately, pushing his hands down.

Feeling embarrassed for the reaction, Sanji turned red and fiddled with his fingers, unsure of why he'd even reacted the way he did in front of the other man. His impulsive reaction to things he found delightful had taken over again, and he felt foolish because he knew he wasn't a child, anymore. He cleared his throat noisily while Law felt guilty for his own reaction.

Before he could say anything, Nami appeared at that moment, looking at Sanji with a wide smile. Law quickly put some distance between them to keep her from thinking that anything inappropriate was happening. The ship shuddered briefly as it began to slow its momentum.

"We're coming up to the outpost," she said cheerfully. "Are you ready to reunite with the old man?"

"Yes! I can't _wait_ –!" He caught himself from completing the happy shout and cleared his throat with an anxious expression. He nodded, but every part of him was battling for the most strongest reaction.

Nami looked at him with amusement. "Let's go, then! Let's go say goodbye to the others, so we don't keep him waiting!"


	11. Outpost

**Panda Blackwhite: Ah….yes…Zeff will be…okay.**

 **Guest: He'll get to saying it sometime, when his boys stop acting out.**

 **Alasse-m: …maybe…there's a lot of work to be done. :D And daddy franky has a lot to say and do with his children. Being a single dad is hard work**

 **11: Outpost**

The dungeons were flooded with light as the clones drew around him with their light staffs, blue light illuminating at least fifty feet around them. With matches, they lit the long ignored torches on the wall, which flickered once before blowing up in a billowing plume of dust and smoke before emerging as a flame. Vermin scurried away from them with hisses and squeaks, and security drones veered over their heads, robotic eyes moving from side to side before veering down the large corridor with a whisper of sound.

The clones set out, looking for signs of life in the area, and then looked listless as they registered none. The security drones returned, fluttering over them, awaiting further orders. Niji looked around himself with utter disgust, lip curled as the heavy odor of death, rot and feces made it unbearable to breathe. He coughed noisily, fumbling with the oxygen mask on his belt, and then slipped it on, tightening the straps around his head.

"This is fucking _nasty_!" he complained, reaching to his chest, adjusting the body cam he had pinned there. He was wearing a pant suit with high boots, the tread thick, but as they crunched over gathered dirt, debris and dried animal droppings, he knew he was going to throw them in the incinerator as soon as he was done with this trip. "Ugh! I can _die_ just standing here!"

"We will do everything we can to make sure that does not happen!" one of the clones said quickly.

"Please, sir, don't die on us!"

"Young master, you are valuable!"

"Shut up!" Niji snapped at them, striding ahead, eyeing the cells that came into view. They were all the same dimensions – eleven by eleven, the bars rusted and tightly woven together, like a lattice. From the top were rusted metal protrusions that prevented any prisoner from climbing the bars to the ceiling, which was carved out of rock bed. Being that they were off the ground, floating over the planet as it rotated, no sounds could be heard from the place, so prisoners were allowed to scream all they wanted. Rats rushed around him with anxious squeals and hisses – they were fat things, nearly four feet long, with rope like tails that had tiny barbs at the ends. Their jutting teeth were stained with age and chemical effects, and their fur was mangy, thin, and some of them even had such gaping sores through their skin that Niji could see clear down to their skeletons.

At the thought of his brother living amongst such things made him shudder with disgust. He imagined that Sanji fed off them, considering how big of a meat pile they were individually. Despite their size, though, they were able to squeeze through the bars with ease, making their way into individual cells without much of a struggle.

Most of the clones kicked them away when they made to attack, driven slightly mad at the smell of fresh meat. Niji peered into the cells he came to, looking for one that he last remembered Sanji in; the furniture that he'd used was broken apart, chewed through by rats, upside down and rattled by some long ago earthquake.

There were a few cells that held clues to former prisoners, leaving behind tatters of their clothes, skeletons propped up on the floor, against the walls. Some still had their handcuffs around their wrists. Nose wrinkled, he continued walking until he was near the back, and he heard the sound of the trash barge calling out from somewhere below.

He held up a hand, listening to the sound of the trash tunnel being opened, and hundreds of pounds of trash began moving, spilling with such a loud clatter of activity that he missed the sounds of the rats until he looked down and saw them racing forward. He followed them to the very back, and peered cautiously through the bars. There was a broken wall in which staff had built a tightly woven metal partition over it, securing it to the bedrock. But just below that was a small hole. Not big enough for a man to escape, but wide enough to allow trash to fall against it, spilling over the rock floor. Rotten food, and plastic water bottles splattered into the cell, and he noticed the rats having a hand in it. There were two pushing themselves through the hole, ushering in trash to the others, and when they grew tired, two more would take their place.

Looking around the floor, he saw what looked to be a pile of blankets near the back corner of the cell – there were glass jars lined up against the wall, and he was even startled to see a couple of rats positioned over what looked like a hole in the floor, taking a shit. The cell was empty of animal feces, now that he noticed it. When the rats were finished, they both worked together to push a piece of metal over the hole and took off to join the others. It stunned him so badly that he pressed his face against the bars, trying to see if it had only been a trick of the eye.

Then he yanked himself back quickly, disgusted at himself for touching the thing.

"Open this one," he demanded, looking at the clone with the keys, and it took him awhile to sort through the collection he had. Once he fitted most of them into the lock, the clone looked at him with dismay, signaling that none of them worked. Niji stared at him with disbelief, then looked back at the cell. He watched the rats sort through the trash, taking all the food, opening plastic bottles with their teeth and lapping up the remaining water inside.

The rats were creating a separate pile, he realized. Food, water, material – it dawned on him that they were doing so for someone. Once the trash tunnel emptied, the barge sounded out, and the doors closed.

He stared at the hole in the wall once more – the more he did so, the more he realized that it was a forced segment. Someone had escaped, and judging from the build up of slime and muck around the opening, it had been done long ago, which was why the metal was secured against it.

He slapped the bars with his gloved hands and made his way back to the main stairs, the clones following him. Once topside, he kicked off his boots with a mutter, then stripped out of his gloves, his jacket. House servants hastily picked up after him, running the abandoned items to the incinerator. He made his way to his room, bellowing for privacy. Once he was inside his bathroom, bath water warm and ready for him, he stripped and slid in with a contented sigh. He could still feel the filth on him from the dungeons, and it made his skin crawl. Satisfied that he was covered by the soap bubbles, he picked up his communicator, and slapped the bright yellow switch atop of it.

It took a few moments, but Ichiji appeared tubside, looking irritated as he pulled on a fitted red jacket.

"Well?"

"He made friends with the rats, and the rats helped him access the trash tunnel. If he were down there, this was how he'd survived for so long. They actively created a stash for him in the event that he comes back."

"That is _gross_."

"I almost died down there. It was suffocating."

"But you didn't, because you're making me look at your junk."

"I am sufficiently covered. But he wasn't in his original cell," Niji added. "Father moved him to the very back."

"Not the middle one?"

"No. I hate to say it, but it was the cleaner one. There was a bed there, some trash that he might've used for day to day, but he _was_ living there."

"Father probably meant for him to die back there without anyone knowing, since no one goes back there. The clones usually drop off the prisoners towards the front, for easier access."

"I just find it so weird that he'd survived all this time down here. Unless those rats were circus trained and gave him everything humanly possible, there's just no way he could've survived this long. Yonji mentioned that he was hunched over and frail – it must've been years of this malnutrition business that happens, and he grew funny. Like a hunchback. _Hah_. Further testament to his weak composition. He can't even _grow_ right."

Ichiji was quiet for a few moments, lips pulled tight. Niji searched for a wash cloth, and rubbed his arms with it.

"Father meant for him to waste away down there, and have the rats dispose of his remains. No one would've known he were there…unless someone knew of his imprisonment from the very start," Ichiji muttered, running the idea through his head.

"The kitchen staff that used to serve him were all killed years ago, to prevent the secret from escaping. The bimbos that father loved, too. Eventually, we were the _only_ ones that knew he was there. Father told us not even to tell Yonji about him, and you saw his reaction."

"There was one older man, who'd been sentenced to die down there, that Sanji took a liking to. What was his name?"

"I don't know. I don't care."

"Look into that, find out what cell he was in. Maybe he passed the message onto others."

"I don't want to! I'm done with that place! Look, what counts is that he's alive, now, and we've got to do something about it!"

"I want to take care of the internal problem, first. If there is staff sympathetic to him, they'll cause trouble once they hear he's escaped," Ichiji said patiently. "There are people who once looked at him fondly, and father would not like it if they knew he were alive, again, having been lied to about the Red Sea Incident. I feel that if we took care of the problem first _before_ he gets home, he wouldn't have to worry so much about it. Consider his age and disposition, brother, before you so selfishly decide that you've done enough."

Niji groaned loudly, then he hit some bubbles up against the wall with a huge sigh. "FINE. I'll do it! When do you get home?"

"In a couple of hours, but I want to be occupied with my wife for an hour after that."

Niji shuddered, hugging himself. In a high pitched voice, he said, " _Ew_."

"Shut up."

"It's so _gross_ , brother has a girlfriend, and he _likes_ her, and he wants to _marry_ her – "

"I'm _married_ to her, and your song is stupid, so…"

"Look, okay, I'll do it."

"You are worse than Yonji, sometimes. I don't know who's more immature, you or him."

"It's Reiju who's worse."

Ichiji sighed heavily, adjusting his glasses as Niji smirked, cleaning himself grandly with the washcloth. "Have you heard from either of them?"

"No. I didn't care to ask, actually. If sister came to something important, she'd say something, and I have Yonji blocked because he needs my forgiveness for talking to me so insolently."

"You're such a brat. I'll call and see where they're at. I'm trusting sis to pick up where you fail to dirty your precious baby hands. Go tell my wife to be ready for me."

"So _gross_! No!"

"One more thing, Niji. Find out who all the prisoners were that were left there. I will then check the castle's database to see their estimated time of death, mostly because I feel that they had more than enough time to sympathize with our brother while they rotted alone, together, and he could have used those rats to get valuable information from them to use against us in case he decides to form an uprising against Germa."

Niji never thought of that, so to hear of his brother saying it aloud, made him frown pensively. He nodded, and Ichiji nodded, so he nodded again. Ichiji nodded, and Niji nodded, and Ichiji nodded again before disappearing. Niji flung soap in his direction with a growl, then heaved himself back against the walls of the tub with a suffering sigh.

It had been some time since he thought of his younger brother. Most that came to mind was Sanji's consistent failures at meeting their father's expectations – how he could never keep up with them, and how high and mighty he was at seeing those lower than them as 'people'. This compassion and empathy that he had for servants, for animals, had made Niji irritated. Mostly because these things were scum, made only to allow the Vinsmokes to walk over. And Sanji's physical weaknesses were similar to those of their mother, who had laid in bed with some thing or another after they were born.

She was weak – hiding away in the hospital, not deigning to come out to see them perform their amazing feats, not around to praise them for their hard work, and giving most of her simpering attention to Sanji, who took most of her affection because he wasn't as capable as they were. She babied him with hugs and kind words, excusing his lack of ability.

"Be nice to him, he's your brother," she'd most often say to them, scolding them from her bed. She was frail, then, with listless features and pale hair, and when she touched them, her hands were cold and she often tried to mother them with the expectation that they'd listen to her. But it was their father that raised them – that made them strong, that gave them attention, and it wasn't fair of her to try and think she had any power.

She often expressed silent horror at their achievements, quietly disapproving of their methods, looking at them with tight lips when Sanji came to her bruised and sniveling after a recent beatdown. Their mother never approved of them, very much, so Niji grew to resent her. Resent _her_ , and her expectations to tone down their accomplishments in strength.

So it was fitting when father decided to get rid of Sanji after their mother passed. To better eliminate the weakness that could cause a dent in their empire's strength rather than coddle it, allow it strength to cause them pause in their continued reach for power and recognition of strength. The last time he saw his brother, Sanji was stomach down in his cell, pleading for help because his back hurt.

"That's what you get for being such a baby," Ichiji had said, peering through the bars at him. "Tell mother dearest 'hello' from us."

" _Why_? Whatever did I do to you?"

"Nobody wants you!" Niji answered, kicking the bars. "You're so embarrassing! Crying like a damn baby -! Look, at least the rats feel sorry for you! Maybe you can feed them one more time!"

Both brothers had laughed and left, and none of them had bothered with the dungeons, again. The least they spoke of it, the better they felt. It was onto adventure and the prospect of living the life their father wanted. It was being promised to marry women with the most worth, to having the most riches, to being recognized for sheer strength and having others cower down in front of them. Their names were synonymous with 'fear' throughout the entire universe, and their strength grew exponentially as a result of continuous action. Not a day passed where Niji regretted the way he was towards his brother – he had no doubt in his mind that if he did, it would somehow sully their reputation for acknowledging the weak link in their family, to give it power, to give their empire's residents 'hope'.

Twenty minutes later, Reiju was standing in front of him, dressed in full battle armor, and she covered her mouth with her fingers as she said, "Didn't want to dirty your little baby hands, brother?"

"Shut up! Look, Ichiji wants to know of the name of that guy that Sanji took a liking to years ago, I can't bother to remember who it was or any other detail than that."

Reiju pursed her lips for a moment, then reached out to her side. She touched a monitor in front of her, then drew her hand out to the side in a long wave, names and duties assigned popping up before her. She then touched a couple of spaces to have most of those names fall away, and she scanned a couple of panels before pointing at one, and sweeping her fingers to the side to draw up a picture and a name.

"Zeff RedLeg?" Niji repeated. "Caterer?"

"That is the one."

"What was his crime, besides having an ugly face?"

"It looks like father caught him allowing Sanji to help him in the kitchen, the day we held a birthday party for Ichiji's future now-wife."

"I don't remember that day at all…"

"He was tossed into the dungeon after a brutal beating for sullying our brother's hands with his dirt work."

"Which cell?"

"The very back one, near the trash tunnel," Reiju asked, finding the information quickly. "Why? Didn't you find his bones, or did you even bother to look?"

"Bring up the security footage for the cells."

"We don't have any down there. Father had them removed once we took to air, that year."

Niji thought about it for a bit, then nodded. "Makes sense. So, we don't know if he died, then."

Reiju turned around, and touched another screen. Swiping that out, she pulled out a star map of the entire universe. After a few light touches, she found what she was looking for.

"Oh! Convenient!" she commented lightly. "He's alive, and he's actually very close to us."

Niji grit his teeth. "All this time, he was _alive_?"

"It appears so. Someone failed to make sure that he perished. Father will be _very_ disappointed."

"Then if Sanji escaped, do you think Sanji will find him useful? But he must've known the man was dead. Father made sure that he watched. I was there."

Reiju bit her lip with thought. "I'm not sure. It's been so long. By the time father put Sanji downstairs, Mr Redleg should've been dead. Why would he go to him, now? It's not as if they'd known each other for a very long time…maybe Mr Redleg is one of those child predators that father always warned us about, and made a disgusting claim on our brother."

"Are you talking to Niji? What up, loser? How many pedicures did you get, today?" Yonji asked, interrupting Reiju's information feed as he leaned into Niji's sight.

"Scram, pest. The grown ups are talking!"

Reiju tapped her lips with thought, as both brothers made faces at each other.

"The very back cell, you said? That was where you found his things?"

"Yes."

"Maybe he was able to crawl through the hole in the wall, and fell into the trash tunnel from there. The barge operator might've been the one to find him, and mailed him off to avoid having the finger pointed at him."

"Maybe, but it's only possible if he had some sort of super power to do so. Like mother," Niji said, rubbing his chin. "Anyway, if you don't find any traces of that junk ship Yonji mentioned, please visit him, next. Just in case."

"Well, it's interesting, because he lists his home at a location deep within the East Blue, so why is he traveling so quickly to the outpost to where Yonji made the discovery?"

"I knew it!" Niji exclaimed, fist to palm.

"I'm totally lost," Yonji said, frowning at her. "What's happening?"

"I think I'll just ask him once I see him if he has had any communication with our long lost brother," Reiju said with a sigh.

" _Who_?"

"Yonji. Don't mess this up. Don't disappoint me any further than you already have," Niji warned him, then disappeared before Yonji could reply.

"Just because he's _four_ minutes older than me - !"

"Yes, yes, calm down, I'm trying to pinpoint this man's location. We will bypass Little Garden entirely," Reiju said, notifying the pilots nearby. "And head for this location, here. Is this understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Why are we looking for an old man?" Yonji asked curiously, wearing a confused expression.

"He might've been very helpful to Sanji years ago."

"So? He obviously didn't help him, now."

"What makes this situation odd, dear, is that he's actually moving very quickly to a post familiar to most smugglers in this part of the universe. The way Ichiji and Niji see it, Sanji has been in communication with him."

"I doubt it. Remember that thing I said, about looking like a failed project?"

"The human mind, especially ours, is capable of great things. More than likely, he's at full capacity, for now. After all, that terrible Red Sea accident might've jumbled his memories enough for him to forget human interaction, but there are ways men can forcefully regenerate a body to full health. Besides that, he's one of us – even if he _did_ turn out to be a failure, he survived long enough to make me suspect that he retained our regenerative abilities. Or…"

" 'Or' what?"

"Someone helped him while he was living in the dungeons, tended to his wounds. But the thing I find curious as to why did he stay so long down there, when he had every chance of escape?"

Yonji shrugged. "Guess we ask."

"Hmm, I wonder if he'll answer," Reiju muttered, turning and walking towards the windows. Around them were glowing beacons that helped guide the speedship through the darkness, bypassing Little Garden. The planet was a brilliant blue color, orbited by what looked like a natural moon and an industrial one. She was curious as to why.

"Twenty minutes, ma'am," one of the pilots told her.

"Excellent. Suit up, Yonji. We won't lose this time. Let's make father happy."

: :

The outpost was an old station the size of a small city – they found an open port in the back, and with Nami on Luffy's wrist, she guided them through the narrow corridors of the back service halls, where they passed by shady travelers that looked too busy ignoring them to pay them any attention. The smells of the place had Luffy moving about anxiously, trying to process it all, sure he smelled food somewhere. Sanji gaped at everything, in awe of his surroundings, staring blatantly at people and alien alike, and taking in the sights of the windows that allowed them extravagant sights of a nearby planet, of its two moons that resembled asteroids.

The group had to hustle the pair along, forcing them to stay on their way. While the station was not monitored by any regular law enforcement, there was a sense that all travelers had their secrets, keeping to themselves in order to avoid being identified or even questioned as they hustled through the halls. By the time they'd arrived at the meeting point in the center, surrounded by shady taverns and small food carts, they had basically seen the entirety of the station.

The old man was so much bigger than Sanji had expected, with a ridiculously braided mustache, and weathered features that looked as if it had seen too much sun. Dressed in brown robes, he looked as if he'd just stepped off a nearby barge, and his two companions weren't very different, either. At first, he was in awe of the other man, looking at him with all the emotions he'd remembered the first time the man had made an impression on him. Seeing Zeff's gruff expression, taking in his examining expression – so different from his own father's eyes – and being in his presence filled Sanji with the same sort of admiration he'd felt back then. After all those years, these feelings hadn't gone away. When he _felt_ Zeff's acceptance of him – so different from his own father's presence - Sanji immediately stepped up to Zeff with a brilliant smile, an exhale of relief, looking so cheered that he practically glowed with it. Zeff looked down at him with a cautious expression, trying to hold himself back, but even he couldn't stay grim-faced for very long. His eyes swept over Sanji with a careful air, then looked as if he were struggling for composure. He did note the differences from the last time he saw the man, reaching out for Sanji with slightly shaking hands.

His hands, scarred and spotted with faint burns, were seemingly massive on Sanji's head as he cupped the crown of it, and brushed them to the ends of his butchered hair, looking over at the two catmen standing nearby. Law subtly gestured at Zoro, who was clueless to the tattletaling as he stood there with his arms crossed.

"You look almost like your mother, but uglier," he assured Sanji gently, his hands still on the other man, holding him with such fondness that there was no mistaking his affection. Sanji stared up at him with a frown, then a light laugh, apparently comfortable to Zeff's gruffness.

Then Zeff pulled him into him with a hard hug, clearly struggling for something. Unsure of how to react to the gesture, Sanji just stood there, but what was visible of his face showed that he was relieved to be accepted by the man.

Brook sniffled, then looked around himself with embarrassment.

"He needs a lot of work," Law warned him. "He's got the basics down, and learns fast, but he's…"

"Retarded? I'd think so, being away from human contact for this long. Which is a relief, considering the hell he's been through with that family," Zeff said, pushing Sanji back to look at him again. "He needs to be fed. He _smells_. What'd you people do, just spray him with a hose and say 'that's it?'"

"Old man, we put a lot of effort into that guy, and how dare you insult my amazing cutting skills," Zoro said, frowning. "He's a lot more recognizable than from when we first met him."

"I gave him a record of all the medical procedures I'd performed on him, including the list of shots I'd administered for common space viruses," Law said. "You can look it over from there. All my notes are in there."

Zeff studied them, taking in the entire crew with a doubtful eye. All the men in their worn, space dandy clothing looked mismatched. The animal men were scruffy and ragged; the cyborg loomed over the group of them like some father figure; the albino blinked heavily behind his goggles, arms akimbo, and the skeleton figure was making sniffling motions with theatric gestures. All of them looked nothing comparable to the family that this man escaped from. All of them seemed to follow the lead of the youngest member, a dog boy with the scarred stubbornness of a pitbull.

"So, you're okay with taking him?" Luffy asked skeptically. "He's got a powerful family looking for him. And I don't sense anything strong about you, but that mustache!"

"We'll be fine," Zeff assured him, Luffy then walking over, and sniffing him suspiciously. When Zeff pushed him away with an annoyed frown, Luffy ducked under his hand and sniffed again. "What are you doing, dog-boy?"

"Law, come smell this," Luffy said, gesturing at him.

" _No_!" Law and Zeff snapped at him.

"You're being rude. Look, we need to leave. I'm not trusting those people to take their leave for this long," Zeff said anxiously, glancing at the windows around them. "Thank you."

"Is there a way we can contact you, if we have any questions?" one of Zeff's friends asked, over the sounds of Luffy persistently smelling the older man with a frown. Since his expression looked desperate, the other looking as if he wanted to say something but held back, Law nodded.

"I gave him my ring. It belonged to an ex, and he knows where to find us if he needs to."

Both men processed this information, then looked at each other, hiding their mouths behind large, scarred hands. "He gave him an _ex's_ ring."

"How crass…doesn't he know he's supposed to make another to wipe off the bad luck of the previous relationship?"

"Recycling his feelings, it appears."

"Aye, it appears so…"

" _Shut up_!" Law snapped at both of them, Franky interfering briefly, massive hands on Law's shoulders, causing his fur to stand straight up with irritation.

"Now, boys, I understand that you think this is something to make fun of him, for, but I assure you, he's very recently heartbroken and this was the only thing he could think of giving Sanji-bro in order to find us. As a transporting business, we're everywhere in the universe, and can't be relied upon to be in one place. Giving Sanji this ring makes plenty of sense as a last minute solution."

The two men looked reluctantly repentant.

"We're just having fun."

"We weren't being serious."

"Sorry, kid, thought you could handle a round of teasing."

Franky patted Law's shoulder, as if comforting him, then turned away to see why Luffy was being so persistent in smelling Zeff.

Zoro leaned in with a sly wiggle of his ears, saying, "You moved on pretty fast."

"Shut UP!"

"Grooming this sick, lost man into something that won't run away from you, I see."

Franky once again inserted himself between them with a gruff noise, Bepo looking over cautiously as Law snarled, and Zoro growled back, grinning as he bared his teeth. "Now, boys, honestly, can we _not_? This is embarrassing. Is this all you did the entire time? We need to get along, for the safety and security of our team."

"He fucking starts it!"

"No, I don't!"

"Stop, you're both _grown men_! I'm sorry," Franky apologized to the two that were just watching this, expressions displaying their revulsion of their behavior. But, really, it was only because they'd realized Franky was only wearing a speedo under that kimono. "They're both very rambunctious with each other. It must be a feline thing."

"Come along, now, we better get going," Franky then said to Luffy, taking the few steps necessary to grab the teen by his arm and pull him away, all the while managing to herd the growling catmen into walking with him, separated by his large body. Brook and Bepo looked more embarrassed than emotional as they realized what they all looked like, Luffy protesting over the snarls and hisses.

"He just smells funny! I don't know what it is, but I smell it, and I can't tell what it is!" Luffy protested, Zeff frowning after him. "Sanji, you'll be okay?"

"Yes," Sanji assured him, looking at the rest of them brightly. He then bowed his head low, saying, "Thank you all so much for your kindness!"

"Be careful out there," Zoro said, tail flicking.

Sanji nodded, taking in the sight of both catmen with a grateful expression, sure that there were other words he wanted to say, but not finding them. Zeff took the cloak that one of the other men handed out, and put it on him.

"We'll be on our way, then," he said gruffly. "Thank you. One day, I'm sure he'll find you again."

"Hopefully later, then sooner!" Zoro commented. "Only because there wasn't much we could talk about."

"Remember the things we talked about," Law said, looking tensely at Sanji.

Sanji nodded at both of them, Zeff frowning at them, wondering what they could've said that was of any importance. As far as he was concerned, one looked like a drunkard and the other looked like an anxious mess. He had just smoothed the cloak over Sanji's head when the brilliant heat and light of blasters filled the hallway.

Patty was hit first, and he went down with an undignified sound, all of them reacting with startled shouts. Looking down the hall, clones ran at them, Yonji in the lead.

"There you are! I caught up to you guys! Thinking you're all secretive, and shit!" he hollered, lowering his shoulder to slam into Franky first, then, using their falling momentum, rolled over his left should and popped out from the action to slam a heavy fist into Bepo, who inserted himself between the group and Yonji. Bepo took the hit with his arms up, legs braced, then kicked out. Yonji avoided the sweep and jerked backward, his clones surging around them to either shoot or fight. He forcefully crashed into Brook, knocking him into the wall before he could draw what looked like a sword. From there, cackling, he bum rushed Zoro, who had prepared himself for the attack.

Zeff quickly ushered Sanji ahead of him, intending on escaping through the back when Reiju appeared in a swirl of pink and black, clones standing behind her with their blasters up. She looked at Sanji with barely an expression, hand on her hip as Yonji's yells filled the hall, and his clones shot it out with those trying to fight back. Hers managed to deter her from being caught in the crossfire by expertly shooting those emissions out of her path. One of them rolled forward a small sphere, which launched a visible blue wall between herself and the two men in front of her.

After that, the emissions of the clones' blasters bounced off the shield, and she relaxed her stance.

"Sanji," she said, looking her brother over. "It's been some years. When Yonji said he ran into you, I admit, I was skeptical."

"Witch, you've nothing to do with him, now," Zeff told her. "Let us pass."

"I can't do that. You see, Sanji was expected to die for a reason. If father hears that he's out and about, clearly alive, you realize what this means to us," she said. "Give him over, and we'll let you live. _Briefly_."

"Haven't you caused him enough suffering? I doubt he wants anything more to do with you people after all you've done to him!"

"How is it that you feel so much for my brother, after one meeting?" she asked Zeff curiously. "Are you a pervert?"

"Reiju, I don't want to go back," Sanji told her, grabbing hold of Zeff, pushing himself in front of him. "It's not fair."

"But, honey, father didn't want you alive, for a reason. And for you to live this long, it makes us wonder how you managed to! Let's make this easy for you, for all of us, and you just come along so we don't kill everyone right now. Maybe father will let you keep one with you in the cells after we return you to it," she said, bending at the knees to look at him.

She then straightened, gesturing beyond them, where Yonji was keeping them all separated, using the narrowness of the hall and the clones to fight them individually, moving from one to the other with insults and grand gesture. Sanji saw this, looking terrified for a moment, then to her, saying, "Call them off, and I'll go peacefully! Let them go!"

Reiju smiled at him, as if amused. She then looked up at the sound of her brother's shout, and saw with a start as he was teleported away from them, replacing one of her clones. The entire area shimmered with light, and most of them were lifted from the floor, and shoved back through the hall so hard that they crashed against various spectators. She grunted and floundered for a moment before catching herself, her boots allowing her to pin herself against the floor.

She watched as Zeff and Sanji were replaced with some of Yonji's entourage, the clones confused before turning around to set their blasters back at the group, most of whom were escaping to a nearby hall.

"A teleporter, huh?" she murmured, looking at her younger brother's face. "You were right. Which one is it?"

"Damn it! It's the taller cat!" he yelled, getting up and racing after them. "Don't let them escape! My rep is on the line!"

With a swish of her cape, Reiju then began walking in the other direction, humming to herself as Yonji shouted orders from the hall, clones scrambling to follow.

: :

The group of them raced back for the _Sunny_ , Luffy looking back with an enraged expression.

"Those jerks! Those _jerks_ , who the hell do they think they're dealing with?" he sputtered.

"That's Germa, for you," Zeff answered, seeing that Sanji was having a hard time keeping up with them. Before he could do anything, Franky had the man under one arm, shooting off a blaster from his upraised palm at the clones that followed after them.

People scrambled out of their path, trying to distance themselves from the mess. From behind it all, they heard Yonji hollering at them to stop.

"Law, start teleporting us to the ship! We'll just take them with us! Old man, you said you can erase our logs, right?" Zoro asked, setting himself as Law formed a Room around them.

"Aye, I can, but I don't intend on - !" Zeff started to say before he and Bepo disappeared, and he found himself stumbling, looking around himself with a startled look as Bepo raced for the cockpit. Not even moments later, Brook and Carne stumbled into view. Moments later, the _Sunny_ began pulling away from the port, causing other incoming ships around them to swerve to avoid them. With traffic as it was, it was easy for them to get lost in the movement.

Franky fired off several shots at Yonji as he approached, coming in hard. Dodging the blasters, he balled his fists and used the wall to run and jump, his boots giving him a needed boost to maneuver through the air, firing his own blaster at the same time. It provided enough distraction for Law to stop teleporting, using his sword to defend. So occupied with forming as big as a Room as he could to reach the _Sunny_ as it pulled from port, his attention was strained from the battle.

Putting Sanji down, Franky set on following Yonji's descent, Zoro slashing through the clones that came near, shooting at them. Set between them, he provided a buffer of sorts, redirecting their emissions into the crowd away from them. Luffy was using his Gatling Gun attack on the clones that surged towards them from the side, and Law was watching Yonji intently.

He felt movement to his left and made to look – Reiju was at his side, and her skin began to blister with colorful action; oozing and popping with poison, her fingers dripping with some oily film. Before she could touch him, Sanji hit her with one palm, knocking her off course just enough for Law to grab him and trade places with a couple of clones. Back against the wall, he quickly teleported Sanji and Zoro back to the ship, then Franky and Luffy – he watched as Reiju reset herself, her mouth drawing into a frown.

Then he teleported out of there, and Reiju narrowed her eyes, rubbing her cheek.

"The hell? _C'mon_! See? This is why I got out of dodge! That guy is so annoying!" Yonji complained, dragging his booted feet towards her. "Did you at least see what ship they came in?"

"No. Sanji _slapped_ me," Reiju whined slightly, her skin turning back to normal. "It didn't hurt, but he's never hit me, before."

"Because he's a fuckin _animal_ , that's why! Damn it! _Stars_! Why are you crying about it? Did it hurt? Your face doesn't look busted!"

"Calm down," she grumbled, lowering her hand. "I just…am surprised. I never thought he'd hit me, is all."

Yonji then raced away from her, what was remaining of their clones separating – one group to go with him, the other lingering with her. "I'm going to see what POS they're in! Get the tags!"

She watched him go, frowning. Then sauntered back to their ship, not bothering to put out any effort into the chase.


	12. Earth

**Guest: There will be more, I assure you. :D**

 **Moony-F: Thanks! I'm happy that you do! Had to lol at your 'rats' comment! And I totally see those guys doing something silly with each other after being evil asses towards everybody else.**

 **PizzaYAmore: Hello! Ah! What a compliment! Those two still have a lot more to go, and it'll be…interesting.**

 **12** : **Earth**

On _Sunny_ , Luffy watched pensively as Bepo pushed the ship away from the station, monitoring their back to see if anyone would pursue them. They had to make hasty swerves and turns just to avoid slamming into incoming spacecraft as they made their way in towards the station, so they were jolted nearly off their feet a few times. Once they were in the clear, Franky put them into hyperspeed, and Luffy quickly headed back to the others to check on them.

"Everyone okay?" he asked, looking at Carne, then at the Zeff, the older man pulling out a flat disk from one of the pockets on his belt, handing it out to him with a shaking hand.

"Use this. This will scramble your codes, and rewrite your travel route, erasing your data here," he said gruffly, taking the extra step forward to give it to him. "They won't be able to track you."

Luffy took it, then looked at him, sniffing. "You smell funny, again. Like something burnt."

"Ah, yes, I was hit. It should be fine," he added, much to the horror of the others around him.

"Zoro! Show him to Law's medical bay! Where is he, anyway?"

"Sulking. Let's go, old man," Zoro said, reaching out and helping him walk, Carne looking at Zeff with utter surprise, Sanji looking at him with horror. Luffy hurried back to the cockpit with the disk, tossed it at Bepo, then ran after the others just to make sure everything was okay.

"I guess I'll figure this one out somehow," Bepo muttered, slipping the disk into a nearby reader. All at once, the ship shuddered, and all their equipment chirped before resuming normal operations.

"It scrambled our codes, rendered us invisible to the gates keeping tracking of everyone coming in and out of the system," Franky said, a little surprised. He pulled out a display, watching the code scramble individually before reading something completely different in minutes. "Apparently, we're back at the calm belt, and have been delayed in mid-route due to some converter issues."

" _Nice_!"

"What I want to know is what kind of a man has this sort of technology on him? Is this guy who he really says he is?"

Luffy reached the others just in time to see Zoro and Carne help Zeff in to the medical bay.

"It's _nothing_. Went clear through my shoulder. Just need a band-aid," Zeff said, leaning heavily on the tiger anyway. Law was already in there, obviously angry at himself, but once he heard the commotion, he was focused, immediately helping Zeff remove his robe sleeves to reveal the injury underneath. The intense heat had seared most of his flesh, muscle and bone together, leaving a cauterized wound that he could see straight through.

"Good thing they shoot like stormtroopers, and missed your heart," Zoro said with concern.

"Like a human donut hole!" Luffy announced, peering at it with amazement, then looking ill in seconds. Hand over his stomach, he grimaced before wobbling over to take a jumpseat nearby.

"This is an easy fix," Law reassured Zeff, gesturing at him to take a seat on the nearby table. Then he turned and began rummaging through his shelves for the appropriate items, finding what he needed before then pushing his hands into the disinfectant sheet within a device that looked like a hand dryer. It burned away all the bacteria on his hands, before he then shoved them into gloves that were ready next to it. The disposables were then adjusted over his wrists as he listened to the men behind him.

"I'm so _sorry_!" Sanji apologized to Zeff, looking terribly heartbroken at that moment, unable to move from where he was standing.

Zeff shook his head, gesturing at him. "It's fine, boy. Come here."

For a few moments, he didn't move, frozen with suffocating horror and remorse.

"Hurry up, or I'll die!"

"He's far from dying," Law muttered under his breath, but Carne looked agitated at that moment, looking to say something before Zeff frowned at him.

Sanji went to him tentatively, looking at the gruesome wound with widened eyes. When Zeff lifted his hand to reach for him, he flinched. Zeff grabbed him with an impatient sound, his fingers firmly ensnaring his cloak to drag him the couple of feet necessary to him.

"Listen here, you didn't do this. It wasn't your fault. One of those ninnies got lucky. Is this understood?" Zeff told him firmly, forcing him to look at him by grabbing his chin. "You hear me?"

"But you wouldn't have been _shot_ if it weren't - !"

"If I didn't want to get shot, I wouldn't have been there! Get over this nonsense, and don't you dare get all snivelly with me about it, alright? Sooner or later, it would've happened, and it happened now. It ain't like I lost a limb, or anything. That was already done. Now, are you hurt?"

"No," Sanji answered shakily, watching as Law investigated the wound for himself, then began patting a clear, jelly-like substance into his shoulder, using a pair of glasses to see. Once that was through, he set the jar aside, then pushed inside a couple of small blocks up against the jelly, setting them firmly within.

"These are muscle growth blocks. They will rebuild around the bone once it's repaired, and the flesh will be replaced by a replication tool that I will use to basically copy and paste over the wound as it heals. You should have it fully healed within a month if you take care of it," Law said, indicating that Zeff take to the regenerator. "This thing will replace the bone lost, and assist with the regrowth process."

Once the old man was settled inside, Zoro and Luffy left to go find some beer, and Carne took a seat nearby. Sanji watched as Law took nearly a half hour to force grow the section of bone that was missing, and stimulate the crepy flesh of Zeff's shoulder into place as the muscle growth blocks responded violently to spurts of electricity that caused it to expand and build within the gap. Once he was finished bandaging the wound, it was almost as if nothing had happened, but it did leave behind a noticeable sag to the area that he covered up with some bandages, forcing his arm into a tight sling.

"That's the magic of technology, eh?" Carne asked, marveling over the finished product.

"It'll do," Zeff said, secretly impressed. He looked back at Sanji as Law studied the panels around him, before he pulled all the displayed squares into one complete file.

"Give me a few minutes with him in private, please," he then said, his tone taking on an icy low. Carne looked at Zeff with a wince, and Sanji lingered for a few moments before Zeff ushered him out. Once the door had shut behind him, Law removed his glasses and tossed them onto the desk nearby. "The fuck is this bullshit, old man?"

"Oh, I've been found out," Zeff commented lightly, looking at him.

"You _knew_. You knew and you accepted this without thinking about the consequences?" Law asked incredulously, tossing the panels ahead of them. The display of Zeff's form burst into light form, where the glow of red blinked over various sections of his organs. "Six months, at least."

"Enough time to give him a head start," Zeff said quietly. "I had enough time in me to show him the ropes, get some knowledge in him to survive."

"That's fucked up. It's fucked up because he was looking forward to seeing you – _you_ – that was his motivation all this time. He waited until he thought he was 'older' to come see you! If you knew you were going to die, you should've never accepted this - !"

"I didn't know he was _alive_ , you bum. If I had, I certainly would have done something sooner to erase all this, but...I had done my time, and I accepted my end. If you have a better solution, then I'll listen to it. But for now, don't come up to me and start throwing around big words about what the fuck _I'm_ doing. You want to worry about that kid, then _you_ do something about it."

Law stared at him for a few moments, then shook his head, turning away. Zeff carefully maneuvered his robe on over his shoulder, saying, "Thank you for the patch job. Look, if you guys can drop us off at the edge of the system, we can find our way back."

Saying nothing, Law began putting things away. He tossed his gloves and cleaned his hands, glaring at the task. "That's why Luffy was smelling you. He smelled the cancer."

"I'll take him, anyway. That boy deserves a better life than the one he had. I can't imagine what these years have done to him, but he deserves better."

"He's shown no real signs of aggression – "

Zeff said, "Physically, I suspect he'll heal just fine. Despite what he says, he might not have the full capabilities of that family's modifications, but he's enough. He was strong enough not to die when those kids beat on him, and he was strong to endure this period of horror in the dungeon on his own. But he needs a lot of care on the other end. I don't want him turning out like the others when the frustration and anger break free. He's allowed to be angry, but he needs to be angry in a safe way, in a good environment."

For a few moments, Zeff was quietly, reflecting on the possibilities. "It wasn't fair what happened to him. I'd planned on giving what I had left for him, in hopes that he'd have better later on. See the universe. He wanted to see the sea. Any sort, would do. All those things that kids wish for, and never had."

Law couldn't help but think of his own life at that moment, startled at how similar things were to his own relationship with Corazon. Seeing the half crow at that moment made him realize just how much he'd missed the man since he'd left the North Blue. He swallowed tightly, then muttered, "You'd cram all that into six months?"

"I'd do what it took, you bum."

Zeff then frowned over at him, having to tilt just to do so. He studied the catman for a few moments, then said, "What's your story, anyway? All of you? You're here lecturing me on how not to die, and yet you're throwing yourself into the path of the Germa Empire. All you had to do was reseal the box, deliver it, and be on your way. He would've never minded your unwillingness to be involved, he knows what his family is about."

Law muttered, "Ask Mr Roronoa. He's the one that opened the box in the first place."

" _Hmph_."

With a touch of a nearby switch, Law opened the door. Sanji immediately walked in, looking at Zeff with concern. Nami followed after him, demanding, "What happened? Are you coming back with these guys?"

"Woman, for an old man's sake, please put on some clothes," Zeff complained at the sight of her nude breasts, swinging underneath her long hair, hips clinking with gold jewelry attached to her skirt.

She rolled her eyes, shifting form. She was now a shorter woman with a plain face, freckles over her nose and cheeks; her short orange hair was pulled back into pigtails, her heart cardigan opened to reveal a cartoon dog over some leggings and flip flops.

"No one was expecting them to find us so quickly," Law said. "Didn't you ask those guys up front?"

She gave him an impatient look, absently sweeping crumbs from the front of her shirt. "Law, the response I got ranged from 'Fuck if I know,' to 'the more, the merrier,', so you tell me, old man."

"We'll be on our way, soon as they drop us off," Zeff assured her.

"No, they're coming home with us," Law said. "Is there room?"

"Are we being kidnapped?" Zeff asked, starting to grow agitated. "I have a place, I have a business, I just lost a dear friend – I would prefer to remain on this side of the universe!"

"I mean, there's room, but it doesn't sound like he wants to," Nami said with a worried frown.

"He's going to have to deal with it." With a tight frown, Law was quiet for a few moments, then he said to Zeff, "I can cut most of it out, prolong the advance until there's another option. I've had experience with at least seventy of these specific operations alone during my time back home."

Zeff frowned back at him, Sanji wearing a confused expression as he looked from one to the other. Puzzled, Nami made a face, looking at Law with a questioning gesture.

"He has stage four cancer. He's going to die within six months," Law told her. "I can remove most of it, but it's a delicate procedure, and I can't do it on a moving ship."

"Oh, _god_ ," Nami exclaimed, looking at Zeff with horror. "Are…are you…you can't be expecting to think you can battle _this_ , and those dolts from Germa! How are you even…?"

"What is 'cancer'?" Sanji asked, noting the rising tension in the room, pale as a ghost. " _Law_. What is cancer?"

"It's a stupid illness that sometimes stupid old men like myself gets. Look, kid, if you can do that…if you can do that for me, then I'll make it worth your time. I'll work it off, or – or _whatever_ , if I can have a safe place to stash this brat somewhere until I can take off with him again," Zeff said, stuttering slightly, looking too frustrated, too proud to meet anybody's eye at that moment.

Sanji's eyes were wide, his mouth open as he whispered, "You can _die_ from it?"

"Of course! I mean, _Zeff_ , of course we can find things for you to do over here. You're a cook, right?" Nami asked, switching personality right away, revealing her true self at that moment. "These guys are bottomless pits. You can do the cooking duties. I'm so sick of ramen and fast food, and I'm sure they'd appreciate it. That'll be your payment. And Law? You can't go back home, now, you need to stay this out, and make sure it's completed. And that's going to take some time, right?"

Law did not want to think of home at this time, but he nodded. "I'm sure I can ask for an extended stay, given the circumstances."

Sanji stared at him for a bit, and asked, "You were intending on _leaving_ after I did? But you said – "

"What matters now is _this_! I'll do my best," Law said to Zeff brusquely. "As long as you do yours."

Zeff nodded firmly, lips tight as he did so. No one was able to tell what he was thinking at that moment, and Nami's hands were still at her mouth, actively trying to keep herself from blurting out anything. Sanji looked from one to the other, utterly confused.

"Are we safe?" Zeff then asked. "Because I….I'm pretty tired after all this excitement."

"Yes! Yes, we are, we're on our way back to Earth, we should be there within a day, or so. Come! I'll show you a room, and Brook can help you get comfortable," Nami said quickly, reaching out to help Zeff off the table, then remembering that she couldn't touch him.

"Look," he said sternly, "you bastards weren't acting like I was a fragile piece of work, earlier. So don't act like it, now. And I'd appreciate it if this weren't being told to everybody. I need some dignity, right now."

" _Of course_! Definitely! I'm sorry. Come. Let me show you to the room," Nami said, hurrying out.

Sanji reached out and caught Law's arm before the catman could follow, smelling the scent of cooking food. "Stop. What's cancer? What is this?"

"It's…abnormal cells that invade other cells to cause invasive growth throughout a person's body, with harmful takeovers that cause a series of breakdowns, eventually overwhelming their victim by shutting down their organs."

Sanji processed this for a moment, then asked, "You can fix it?"

Law exhaled through his nose, not wanting to make promises. "I've done this, before. With this stage and composition, I can remove most of it, I'm sure. All I need is good tools, some time and a regenerator."

For a moment, Sanji stood there, saying nothing. He felt he couldn't say anything. He shook his head slightly, finding his tongue too heavy to move. "What…what should I…how should I act? How should I…what should I feel, right now? I don't know how…to…feel something…"

Law had seen that expression, before. A long time ago, when his father diagnosed his own daughter with Amber Lead. Knowing she would die, he had only stared down at her anxious face, saying nothing, facial features frozen.

"Look…no promises, but I can do this. I will do my best. Even if I can't eliminate all of it from him, I can get him to stay with us a little longer."

Sanji looked at him, his features still frozen. "But if you take on the responsibility, what will happen to _you_ when you've done all you could? Will you blame yourself for it? Because I don't think – "

"I was given this devil fruit for a reason. I'm good at what I do. I have every confidence in myself to do something, and I accept when I'm unable to do…something."

Sanji was quiet all over again, and Law could see his pulse racing at his temple, at the base of his throat. He was taking tight, anxious breaths, jaw tensing. Still, without a word, he reached up and touched Law's chest, then walked away, a little disoriented. Law watched him make his way towards the bedrooms, feeling a little uncertain as to how to feel about the situation himself.

He was confident he had it handled – he'd performed more intensive operations before. He'd been successful with many, failed with a rare few, but it felt different, now. He didn't know why.

: :

"So… _poof_?" Niji asked, hands up. He stood before them in full holographic form, where he'd been interrupted over his afternoon snack. The woman that had brought it to him was laying on the floor, out cold, the plate visible in one hand, food splattered on the table next to him. "That's it? That's…whatever happened to all this big talk about - ?"

With a sheepish expression, Yonji said, "Look, it was…and Reiju was with me the entire time! She saw what it was! With more of them there, it was…a little different."

"Unfortunately," Reiju mentioned, lips tilted on one side. She didn't look at all repentant. "It is as he said."

Niji looked at them with disapproval, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "And no one thought to see what they came in – Yonji, didn't you get a snap of their ship the first time?"

"I did! But it wasn't there when we pulled up! We circled that bitch a few times before we landed on different sides to close them in, and I didn't see it anywhere!"

"And it's a smuggler's den, so it won't even have security cameras anywhere," Niji said with a low growl, regarding his siblings with a frown. Hands on his hips, he tutted. "Your brother's going to be very disappointed with both of you."

"Fuck," Yonji muttered, reaching up to place his hands over his head, lacing his fingers. Reiju just shrugged.

"Send me the body cam footage. Maybe we can map out their faces, do a database search for them."

"That'll take us awhile to receive any sort of result," Reiju warned him. "I already started the search."

"What sort of powers did you say they had?"

"One was a huge guy, with metal all over him, half naked. I tried not to bother with him, because he was _half naked_. There was a total skeleton that looked utterly useless. A guy missing melanin that knew how to fight back – he wasn't a weakling. The guy with the three swords, the cat that can teleport things, and a guy that could do weird things with his skin. I think Ichiji would like that guy."

"A couple of these men were quite handsome," Reiju added with a smile, much to her brothers' disgusted looks. "I could see myself swooning into their manly arms."

"If anybody does any 'swooning' in manly arms, it's whatever dumbass that pops has you marrying!"

"I could fall lightly into their manly chests, and - !"

"Stop!"

" _Gross_!"

"It's bad enough Ichiji goes on about his sniveling wife, but to hear you do it, it's gross!"

"Fine. _Virgins_."

Both brothers' faces blew up with red, and indignant curses left their mouths as Reiju 'hmphed', hand on her hip as she looked away. She had removed her battle armor, pulling on a bright pink gown that swirled around the tops of her calves, dropped low over a tight bodice and sleeves. She'd removed her communicator and pulled on another headdress, her hair completely hidden within it.

"But it can be confirmed that Zeff was the one he was with," she said. "I tried to ask him why, but he refused to answer. With the way they all carried on about him, they were willing to lay their lives down to ensure that they were able to escape."

Both Yonji and Niji looked at her with utter confusion.

" _Why_ , though?" they asked in unison.

"He's worth _nothing_!" Yonji expressed.

"He's done absolutely _nothing_ to earn any sort of respect in this amount of time!" Niji exclaimed.

"Why would such an old man like Zeff put himself out there, for a worthless loser like our Sanji?" Reiju added, with a bewildered shrug. "Maybe there is something about Sanji that earns them their sympathy. He does look quite pathetic. But he also looks a lot like mother."

"Not like us," Yonji reassured Niji.

Reiju examined her fingernails. "He glows like her. And his eyes are very expressive, like hers. Perhaps this is why father despises him, so. Maybe he feels disgusting inclinations towards him."

Both brothers stared at her in silence before she added, "I don't understand why these strangers would work together to defend him. He has nothing to offer them. Father doesn't claim him, and he's…normal. I'm at an utter loss, here."

"Maybe they think they can have something on us, anyway. Maybe they intend on ransoming him, but they're gonna _get it_ if they try!" Yonji exclaimed.

Niji rubbed his chin. "If it comes down to it, we'll let Ichiji do the negotiations. As of right now, father is still unaware that this is happening. I've already created a sob story for the four of us to express shock and dismay if this news is revealed to the universe."

"Oh, goody, you thought ahead!"

"Without knowing which direction they took, our eyes aren't catching anything on the gates, we're going to come back," Yonji said reluctantly. "I'm going to use the body cam footage to go over the play by play with you two. Well, _you_ , if Ichiji gets off his wife long enough to realize that there's another world outside of their damn bedroom. That slut."

"Oh, I'm sure he's not having that problem," Niji said with utter disdain. "I'm hiding out in the library instead of my room because I don't even want to hear anything coming from their side of the tower!"

Reiju shook her head at the sight of their shared disgusted expressions. "You G-rated little bitches. When will you ever grow up? Will you still behave like this when you have wives of your own?"

Both Yonji and Niji looked at each other, then made similar cringes, speaking with highly exaggerated squeals.

" _Ew_!"

"A girl!"

"What'll we do?"

"Do we have to _kiss_ her?"

"I'll just _die_!"

Reiju rolled her eyes and walked off, not about to be drawn into their childish shenanigans today. But she held her jaw tersely, looking back on the situation that happened. She was confused as to why a random group of men would come together and put so much effort into someone like Sanji.

When they were young, she didn't understand why he had such a tender heart. When the servants looked and spoke with him, they displayed a different side to themselves that they didn't with the others. They spoke with Sanji with some affection, and were genuinely torn up when Raiji gave the wake after his 'death'. And their mother…well, Sanji put extra effort into seeing her even after their father told them not to.

Reiju didn't understand why Sanji never tried to fit in. Life would have been easier. It had been, for her.

: :

Earth was a small, vaguely blue-brown planet in a solar system where life was difficult to sustain without further technological effort. The planet itself had only one moon, and it was surrounded by heavy space trash. Mankind had rendered it into a trash heap throughout the years. But the group of them grew excited with 'coming home', looking forward to their own beds, to dinner. Sanji stood at the largest window of the ship and watched them enter the atmosphere. The skies here were a far lighter blue than he'd ever seen, before, and the clouds were wispy, dingy brown. He had seen that water took up most of the surface, and that glimmered a reflective blue once they were descending. Pressing up against the windowpane, he stared down at the water that surrounded a very small island – while most of it was underwater, or in threat of being underwater, there were metal legs that stood proudly to support a level of surface above it.

"The island is called 'Japan', and the city we're headed to is 'Tokyo'," Zoro said, belching into one hand. He was trying to see the world through the blond's eyes, but he couldn't see most of the beauty, anymore. To him, it was just adilapidated surface with too many people occupying too little space, with too much water surrounding them. "It's mostly abandoned, through, the ground surface. Everything that they knew was covered with water with the melting of the polar ice caps."

"Like our world," Sanji said softly, marveling at the city with such tiny buildings, with narrow streets, and ropes upon ropes of wire that crisscrossed opened spaces between them. People took to the sidewalks, drove in tiny cars, and negotiated narrow roads – while most of this city reminded him of Germa, it was only a tiny version of it. birds fluttered around the ocean waters below, and he could see that there were boat ports lining what was left of the island.

"Yeah. Guess we're getting there, too," Zoro said reluctantly. He then reached out, and took Sanji's translator from him, the blond turning away from the window. Zoro kept speaking, but their language was completely different. He fiddled with it for a few moments, still talking, then gave it back to him. Once Sanji slipped it over his ear, he could hear Zoro's words as they were unscrambled. "I adjusted it so you can hear these people, too. There's a mixture of at least five different languages, here. None speak Germa."

"Okay."

"Look, kid, I don't know how this is going to work out, but I'm sure it will," Zoro said, as the _Sunny_ continued to descend. It never occurred to Sanji to correct him when he addressed him as 'kid'. "Franky and Bepo will take this thing to our underwater bunker, then we walk up to the surface. Don't get overwhelmed looking at everything at once. I'm thinking we have some time to relax."

"Okay."

Zoro then reached out and ruffled his hair, saying, "When you're all caught up, I'm sure we'll have more interesting conversations."

"Oh, me too!" Sanji said cheerfully, grinning at him. "Maybe when I get a little stronger, I can challenge you to a duel."

"Hah. You're going to get _murdered_."

"By you? I don't know, I've seen you fight twice, so far, and neither time put any confidence in me," Sanji then said, giving him a skeptical look. Zoro scowled at him, then huffed.

"You'll regret that. I promise you."

The _Thousand Sunny_ pushed into the ocean waters with slowed strength, and Sanji watched the waves crash over them. Bubbles flew to the surface, scrambling the sight of the sky. Fish were caught in the pull as the ship sank low, moving slowly underwater – turning around, and back up against what looked like a long, cliff wall. The sides, he could see the hulking shadows of other ships at port, and small water craft zooming around them. Their mechanical lights light up a small space around them, but the water was so dark that they were only pinpoints in the distance.

He stared up overhead at the ocean water, at the fish that came to investigate the docked _Sunny_. He felt breathless for a moment, captivated by the fact that he was surrounded by water. Blue, breathing, beautiful water. The ship released a shudder, and the lights flickered. All manly shouts of joy and relief came through the stairway at that moment, and Zoro hit him with the back of the hand to get him moving.

With some excitement building up in him, Sanji hurried down the stairs to join the others into leaving the ship. He wondered if they would walk through a glass tunnel from ship to surface, but was disappointed when they weren't. Zeff had to reach out and grab him from running ahead once they saw daylight shining in through some open doors, and Sanji was vibrating with exhilaration once they all strode through a massive hangar, with various types of humans lingering around, some aliens that looked uncomfortably out of place.

People called out greetings towards them, but no one bothered them. Once they were outside, the parking lot was hot, and the heat made him uncomfortable. But the air was alive with buzzing insects that seemed to come from everywhere at once, and there were aircraft that took to the skies with loud roars of sound. Music played from a passing car that sounded tinny, the male singer wailing with effort. Everything looked as if it had been pulled from a vintage storybook – with ill colored vehicles, multi-colored signs all around them, with the combined smells of exhaust and sea causing him to inhale deeply, trying to sort them all out.

There were shops with open windows, and haggling customers with shopkeepers, and the uneven terrain gave uphill sidewalk steps, and small pedestrian bridges with grand staircases. The people that walked these narrow pathways were occupied with small devices in their hands, and a dog barked at them from a balcony above.

"Ugh, this place never changes," Luffy complained, hands over his head as he sweated. "Smells like oil and pavement, again."

"Jesus Christ, I thought we'd be gone until at least fall!" Zoro whined, wiping his forehead. "What's the point of all this space traveling if we aren't bypassing time, and shit?"

Law scanned the newspaper headlines in locked receptacles along the sidewalk. "To be fair, we were gone for nearly a month and a half, compared to the time we were running on, expecting them to show within a day, and then – "

"Shut up, nerd!"

"Then stop asking if you don't want shit answered!"

"Boys, calm down, _shit_. Is this feline heat, or something? Do you guys do that sort of thing?" Franky asked curiously, causing them both to snarl and hiss at him.

Sanji observed them all with a slight smile to his features, listening to them complain. They all walked with casual grace, with their shoulders slumped, their faces pained, their complaints ready. Even Zeff looked a little crabby, fanning his face with a hand.

A group of dogteens caught sight of them from a nearby pedestrian bridge, and erupted into barks that had Luffy barking right back. It wasn't much of an animal sound, but a rugged burst of noise that sounded more, "Hey! _Hey_!". Between the shouts of 'Get off my property!' to 'Fuck off, go to school!', Sanji caught sight of some elderly people holding grocery bags at a nearby bench. There were a group of them, and they looked anxiously down the road, to the sight of a long bus coming their way. He stopped in mid step and watched them form a neat line, to withdrew cards from their pockets. He watched them take their turns swiping their cards and finding a seat, the bored bus driver snapping her gum.

Law ushered him along, and Sanji hurried ahead because he saw a young man carrying what looked like a sandwich, eating it as he rode a bike against the sidewalk. The smell of it made his stomach clench, and once he registered his hunger, he turned and looked back at the others to see how they were faring.

"We're almost home," Law assured him, catching the gesture. It took a few moments to understand him, considering how loud the streets were, but Sanji got the gist of it and slipped away from the group to look at a shop with flashing electronics. None of it was as elaborate and grand as they had on Germa, but he liked the graphics that came from it. All of it displayed odd symbols and a man screaming about a grocery store going bankrupt, so people had to run down TODAY to buy. A dog sitting next to the open door yawned, and wagged its tail once Sanji caught sight of it, and he had to crouch and pet it, the dog's smiling eyes and open mouth assuring him that he was receptive to attention.

"Do we need to put a leash on you?" Zoro asked impatiently, grabbing at his cloak. The dog barked at him, and he hissed back, the dog whining anxiously before retreating into the store. Sanji frowned at him, but then hurried ahead once he saw something else. It was a massive animal on two legs, and it was dancing to some strange music while twirling a sign. The creature didn't seem like a real one – its head kept wobbling from side to side, its tiny, feathered arms reaching up to adjust it, and the sign was symbols that had pictures of a full plate on it.

"I'm starving," Luffy complained, mouth watering as he stared at the sign. "Let's have chicken, tonight!"

Sanji reached out and touched the animal, the creature looking at him with a startled, "Hey!"

"Hands to yourself, please," Law said quickly, ushering him away.

"What was that?"

"A man in a costume."

"This is home! And this will be your new home, until it's decided what you're going to do!" Luffy said, gesturing ahead of them. It was a rusty, dirt tinged building with various wires dangling away from it, tucked between a couple of brick buildings that had a various array of smells coming from them. Zeff didn't look impressed, but Sanji gaped up at it with admiration, because it was nearly six stories high, with balconies that had flower pots hanging from the edges, and there birds making a commotion in one of them. Another had some kites and flags fluttering from it, and another had some workout equipment. There were others that had boarded rails instead of the elaborate metal bars, and there was a wide window underneath a wide sign that looked like it had a skull and crossbones on it.

"This is our office slash home," Franky said, looking at it. "It doesn't look like much, but we all live here. Nami got us a good deal on it. All we have to do is work for our rent, and pay our own extras. In the back, we got a shop to work with. We have side jobs."

From the doors, Nami pushed it open with a happy cry. She was wearing a camisole with booty shorts, her slides nearly coming off as she hugged Luffy happily. He laughed, and swung her around, nearly hitting Zoro and Bepo, the two hurrying out of the way. Zoro waved them off and walked inside, Carne looking at Zeff with concern as Bepo led the way in.

After smothering Luffy's face with kisses, she then shoved him away, adjusting her expression to take in the others.

"Glad you guys were able to make it back," she said, and her voice sounded so much cheerful, friendlier than when she was an AI. She then looked up at Sanji with a wide smile, and gaped at him. She reached up and touched him with an awed expression, running her fingers over his jawline, then touching his cheeks. "You are unbelievable in person! _Wow_."

"What's for dinner?" Luffy asked, pushing himself between them so that Nami dropped her hands from Sanji's face. Interest caught by the sight of the inside of the building, Sanji made his way in. The front lobby was wide open, with various plants hanging from the ceiling, from the corners. There was a bubbling fountain nearby, and posters of relevant information posted on the walls. Her desk was a long stretch of wood, with cards on the first tier, and a computer on the second. To the left of that was an open window that just gave one view of the narrow alleyway between this building and the next, but was covered with pretty curtains and what looked to be bamboo blinds. There was a stairway that went up, and the guys were already taking it.

He didn't hear the dog anymore, a little lost until he caught sight of the nearby vending machine. The bright colors and options were things he didn't understand.

"…ordered in so that everyone can get settled," Nami said, leading the way in for Luffy, and Brook. "I figured we'll just let them rest for a couple of days until they're ready to be put to work. Sanji, come along – I have an apartment ready for you three upstairs. It's not that big, but it's not small, either. You'll have the third floor with Law and Bepo, they're at the other end. I was able to pick up some supplies from a few thrift stores and got basics for the lot of you, so you'll be fine until we can teach you what Earth is about until you figure out what to do."

The apartment was small, but it was sparsely furnished, wide open, and Sanji had never seen this type of floor, before. The mats were spongy, and cool to the touch, and when he walked in, the doors slid on tracks rather than opened by pull or push. Zeff and Carne looked a little put out by the size, but this was great for Sanji. He found a room that happened to overlook a very narrow yard with a shop, and over that was a park. Beyond that was the ocean, with clouds gathered in the far distance. As far as he knew it, this was heaven.

Dinner was at a picnic table in the front office, with all of them pulling chairs and the like from their own apartments to sit together. Food arrived in plastic cartons and Sanji gave up on the chopsticks and used a fork. It all had such different textures, weight and tastes – nothing like the reheated meals he had been eating, nothing like the rotten food and scraps that he'd found. As the group shared stories the others had missed within these past few days, he took his time to explore his food.

But an intense heaviness settled over him as he listened to their words and laughter. For a moment, he felt he was back on Germa, eating with his siblings, and it was another lively affair. His brothers were loud and bossy, and Reiju had her quiet opinion, and their father boomed with laughter and praise. The servants stood by quietly, tending to them when needed, and Sanji was sitting at the end of the table, having nothing to say, or nothing to relate.

The food he was eating felt too heavy and greasy, and his tastebuds were protesting a recent run in with something spicy. He set his plate aside and looked at Zeff, who just looked tired as he listened politely. The three were sitting at the end of the table, with Brook at Carne's left and Law at Sanji's, and it was quieter on this side because of it.

"Hey. You okay?" Law asked, over Luffy's loud laughter and Nami's protests. He looked over Sanji's plate with concern, noting that he'd barely touched it. "You don't like the chicken? Try the pork."

"No, it's fine. It's just…different. I don't feel good."

After studying him for a few moments, seeing that he did look a little green around the gills and wore a tired expression, Law didn't press. He did lean over and sniffed him subtly, Sanji feeling self conscious about it because Zeff was looking over with a lifted eyebrow and Carne had an odd smirk. Law wondered how well Sanji would adapt to the new planet after being cooped up in Germa's for so long.

Satisfied that he smelled nothing different, Law said with a nod, "You're overwhelmed. It does get that way, sometimes."

Sanji did feel a little better about the conclusion, and he trusted the catman's opinion. But he said in a small voice, as to not be heard by anyone else, "I feel like I should be happy, but I'm not."

Hearing the guilt in those words, Law shrugged it away. "It happens. Save some of it for later, then. You can have it for breakfast. You have a fridge, right?"

Sanji wasn't sure what that word meant. "We weren't supposed to know what's…kitchen appliances."

Law finished chewing, and set his chopsticks down. The way Sanji spoke betrayed his earlier enthusiasm to exploring everything at once. He then looked at Zeff. "You tired, too?"

"Vaguely," he answered, but his expression said it for him.

"Taking them to their rooms," Law then told Brook, who nodded.

"Sleep well, tonight! You're in a very safe place," he assured them cheerily.

Everyone called out their "Goodnights", and once they couldn't hear them, anymore, Franky elbowed Zoro so hard that the tiger nearly choked over his beer.

" _Well_?"

"Well, what?" Zoro asked impatiently.

"I totally see it," Nami said, wiping her mouth. "Dumb Ass can't even see the broadside of a barn, why are you asking him?"

"You know what I'm talking about, sister?" Franky asked her, grinning. "I saw it right away."

"I saw it before you did because I was always in communication with them, so…"

"SEE WHAT?" Zoro asked impatiently.

Luffy shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't paying attention."

"It might be a little too early to say," Bepo said, pulling off his goggles and tossing them aside.

"I don't think he's aware of it, either, to be honest," Nami said, finding the last pork roll and stuffing that into her mouth. "It's kinda cute."

"I guess we'll just wait and see how it pans out on Earth,then. Law was talking about going back home, is that still a thing?" Brook asked curiously.

"No, he's going to stay a little longer. Zeff's sick. He's going to see that through, first."

"That's too bad, I thought I smelled something funny on him," Luffy commented. "Can he fix it?"

"Yes. Then they'll return to space, after."

"Why are we doing this?" Nami then asked, tossing her napkin onto the table. "Zoro. You get to answer this question."

He shrugged a shoulder. Tapping his nails on the surface of the table, he had to admit that he still didn't have a clear answer. "I don't know. We were fine with letting him go when Yonji first hit us, but…to be honest? I think that pansy identified with him on some level. We don't know where he comes from – I think maybe they have similar stories."

"Law is very complicated, it's hard getting any inch into his past. But it makes sense, now, considering that he considers Corazon Donquixote his 'father', right?"

Carne made a face. "He's from that part of the universe, eh?"

"You know them?" Franky asked. "Because we hear the name, we just don't know the faces."

"Corrupt lot. Try not to deal with them too much. This means he's royalty as well? But he has those white patches that indicates a plague from that side. Will he be dying soon, too?"

"They're scars. He's cured, but those don't go away, he said," Luffy added. "He's good people. I like him. Used to be real uptight. How'd it go, Zoro? You get him to open up, some?"

"No, I got tired, a lot," Zoro confessed, yawning. "Then terribly distracted. That kid's really involved."

"I just don't get it," Nami murmured. "When they find us here on Earth, what's going to happen?"

"It won't happen," Carne assured her. "Those codes he used were the real deal."

"What's up with that?"

"Hmm, it's a secret!" Carne then said playfully, finishing his meal. "Thank you. I'm retiring for this night. How many hours until the sun rises?"

"It should rise by 6:34 am tomorrow," Nami assured him. "Sleep well!"

Then she looked at the others, all who were caught in their own thoughts on the matter.

"I don't know why you'd want to go above and beyond for someone that hasn't really done much," Luffy then said to Zoro, Law returning to the table at that moment.

"What do you mean? Isn't it that we're being 'nice'?" Law asked, picking up his chopsticks. "I thought that kind of thing was valued, here."

"I mean, there's 'being nice', and then there's… _being nice_ ," Luffy said, frowning at him. "So, you found him in a box…and he was…lacking. So, what made you guys put out the extra effort to make him feel welcomed, or even to …challenge his brother over him?"

Law glanced at him before taking the last serving of miso soup, resettling in his seat. "You didn't make that much of a fuss over anybody else. You accepted them 'as is'. You accepted _me_ 'as is'. So why is this one being questioned?"

"Because neither of _anybody_ here has a whole Empire trying to kill him."

"I did!"

"Well, we didn't know that, until now! You probably weren't even going to say anything about it, were you?" Luffy accused. "You'd just use us and run."

"I wasn't 'using' you – I don't know why you even let me stay here in the first place!"

"Because you contribute! You help us out!"

"You didn't even give him a chance to start helping out until you began bitching about this in the first place!"

"This is awkward," Nami murmured into her beer.

Franky nodded his head grimly, listening intently, while Brook crossed his arms and looked from one to the other. Bepo continued eating, barely chewing as their voices grew. Zoro sipped at his beer and wondered what they were talking about earlier, 'noticing something' that was apparently right in front of them.

"Well, I'm gonna! I'm just _saying_! Look, it's not like I don't think that we should help, but it's just weird that you two decided to do this," Luffy said with a huff, sitting back in his chair. "I just feel…like, we don't know why he was imprisoned. What if he was actually an evil thing that they tried to keep repressed? Like, he didn't fit in with others because he was just…like, they lock people up for a reason, right? Maybe he's at a point where he was incompatible with people, and they couldn't kill him outright, so…"

"He just said that his family did these things to him, and from the way those two spoke of it, they were easy to decide that he needed to die. And from what I've seen? He's harmless."

"Absolutely harmless," Zoro chimed in. "He had the chance to fight me, and he didn't, he chose not to. The way he regarded the sword set something off in his head, and he didn't want to touch it. You saw what he did with those animals. Most animals love him."

"Yeah, we _see_ ," Nami said pointedly, looking at both catmen, both of whose ears flattened with the suggestion.

"And since we sense evil easier than most, we sense none of it in him, _therefore,_ there should be no more questioning of our actions!" Zoro bellowed, hitting the table. "That's the end of it! And quit making weird accusations, witch."

Luffy let out a loud sigh, hands atop of his head. "Okay. Well. This was your guys' decision. They will have to work with us, you know. What's up with the old man, Law? He's sick?"

"Gravely so. I can do what I can to prolong his death, but, I am fairly certain that he will succumb to it eventually."

"That sucks."

"How much time?" Nami asked gently.

"Maybe a year, or so. But with the advancement of the stage he's in, it'll be difficult to judge for sure until I'm confident with his recovery, afterward."

"Then, Sanji might stay with us a little while longer, then, hm?"

"That depends on how he feels about his family. if he wants to have a go with them, or further his space between them."

"Why don't you talk to him a little more, get him to open up to you about it," Nami said, with a slow wink.

Law lowered his cup to the table, giving her a look. "Do you have something in your eye?"

"An eyelash, Nami?" Luffy asked with concern, looking over at her.

"Jesus, it's always one thing after another with you," Zoro complained, looking at her with a frown.

"Maybe you shouldn't try so hard," Franky told her. "Look who you're talking to."

" _Argh_! We need another woman around!" Nami complained, pushing away from the table and snatching up her dishes.


	13. Heat

**A/N: I found my couple. They were hiding together in the closet. Good thing I had a squirt bottle to encourage them to separate from each other, good grief. YOU'LL GO BLIND, YOU TWO!**

 **Guest: Even if they're evil assholes, they still manage to find a bit of fun with each other. As for Zeff, that'll be a touch and go thing…**

 **Moony-F: Zoro loves to speak without thinking the situation applies to himself, but he still manages to get the point across, haha!**

 **13: Heat**

Later that night at the front desk, Law sat down in front of the computer, and typed in the password at the prompt. Nami kept the computer usage to a minimum, not wanting them to tie up their system with porn viruses, bad meme videos and general Internet shenanigans. So if they wanted to use it, they had to do so in view of the front, or buy their own laptop. Since all of them preferred to spend their money on other things, the communal computer was the only thing he had to get into contact with his home planet.

Law then listened for any sounds of anyone still up and about, tail twitching nervously, ears back, then clicked onto the telephone icon at the corner of the screen. Under his username, he saw that he had enough credits to buy a five minute conversation, so he dialed a number on the ten-key pad. As the screen switched to a rotating telephone attempting to connect to a plain, twisting planet, he tapped his nails nervously on the desk, hoping no one would come downstairs any time soon.

The first floor was mainly Nami's office space. There wasn't much down here, only a waiting area and the open floor plan of her office – the door behind him led him into her office storage, and the room she used to communicate with them through the AI system.

When the screen expanded to show the sleepy face of the half-man, half-crow, feathers all rumpled around his shoulders and arms, Law couldn't help but smile slightly. The man on the other side smiled back, rubbing his eyes as he peered into the screen of his own. He would be holding a compact sized device that allowed him to take calls, kept in his robe pockets, and sometimes he'd send message files to Law's email, and that was the way they kept in contact. But only if Law used the computer, which wasn't very much.

"It's been how long?" Corazon demanded thickly, yawning. His youthful face was lightly framed with black feathers, which spread down his neck and over his shoulders. From there, longer, larger feathers would sprout over the outside of his arms and end at his wrists, fluffing over to the backs of his hands. From those hands would be long, spindly fingers with black tinged nails, curled just past his fingertips. "You need to check in sooner."

"I've been out of the system for awhile. I don't have that much credits left, so I have to make this short. I've been rejected."

Corazon's face fell. He opened his mouth to say something, then couldn't find any words. Law tried not to act similarly, tightening his lips as he looked down at the desk Nami kept immaculate.

"Do you still have his ring?" Corazon asked steadily.

"Yes, but – "

"Mail it to me."

"No. If anything, he probably left the system. I had been sending credits to him so he could make his way here, but…he might've used it for another destination."

"So he took your credits and sentenced you to die, and you won't send me the ring so I can exact revenge?"

"As unfortunate as these circumstances are, I don't think revenge will solve anything. All I ask of you right now is to prolong my return…some things happened where…I took on an assignment, and I'd like to see it to the end," Law said quietly, unable to look at the man at the moment.

Because he wasn't looking, he couldn't see that Corazon's face was drawn with melancholy, eyes rounded and wet. It took him a few moments to compose himself, but he said stiffly, "I'll do my best. For how long?"

"Maybe a year. My time, so two of yours."

Corazon exhaled heavily. "Well, he's not on one of his megalomaniac moods, but after hearing that the moon tribes's prince rejected you, he's not going to be happy."

Law nodded faintly, understanding Doflamingo's moods. "This case is a cancer-removal operation. So…those take some time. I would ask that he give me as much time as possible to see it through before I…return home. If you could please just…talk to him."

Corazon wiped his face with one hand, feathers on his shoulders lifting slightly as he struggled to keep himself together. When he looked back at Law, he said quickly, "Let me look for another prospect, there _has_ to be a different solution to this."

Wearily, Law said, "Cora, I'm positive no one wants me after my scars were revealed. I've accepted this. I understand the politics behind the scenes, so I don't wish for any forcing of the action. Even if I were accepted back into society, I won't have any patients, therefore, I wouldn't have any work."

Corazon said nothing for a few moments, Law glancing at the corner of the screen and noting that time was running out. "I'll have to reload my credits, again, to call. Please talk to him."

"Send me that ring."

"I don't think – "

"If there were no feelings involved, then send me that fucking ring."

"If you do something in retaliation, it's going to look bitter on my part, and while I feel disappointed, I can't exactly blame him for not wanting to."

Corazon looked at him with frustration, but then he sighed heavily. "I will send you credits – "

"Don't send me anything like that. I've got a job, I'm getting by. Just…talk to him. Give me some time, that's all that I want."

"Law – "

"I have to go. Goodbye, Cora."

"…Goodbye, son."

Afterward, Law sat there for a few moments, staring at the keyboard. He felt disappointed and uneasy with the way things were going, but he accepted that his fate was coming to an end. He sat there for awhile, lost in his thoughts, when he heard a shift of the desk to his right. It startled him so badly that he jerked up from the chair, fur on end, Zoro snickering.

" _Goddamn_ you!"

"You are the jumpiest cat I've known," Zoro said, jiggling his change. He wore only low slung shorts and sandals, already sweating from having his apartment windows open rather than risking AC for a few moments of sweet relief. "I came down here for Funyans."

Law scowled at him. "You didn't hear anything, did you?"

"I heard you having a conversation," Zoro confessed lightly, looking up at the ceiling lights with examination, ears flicking. "I felt that if I continued on my way to the vending machine, I would be a nuisance. So I stayed on the stairway and overheard everything, waiting politely for you to finish so I can continue on my way."

Law didn't know what to say, frowning at him darkly, Zoro examining his change with pursed lips.

"So, what's this about being sentenced to 'death'? Isn't that a little dramatic for being rejected at the alter?"

Gritting his teeth, Law then explained, "As a society, it's our duty to contribute our usefulness to Doflamingo. If it weren't for him, I would've never survived from the disease. He gave me the devil fruit upon the understanding that when I'd outlived my usefulness to his society, I would return the gesture, and give him eternal life in exchange for my life. Well, if I can't marry or work to his standards, then there's only one thing to give him."

Still seemed drastic to Zoro, but he knew what the half flamingo was like. With the way Law carried on after receiving that ring back, he knew this wasn't going to be something that disappeared so easily.

Elbow resting on the desk top, Law covered his mouth with his fingers, a brooding look being directed to the clean top tier. The computer hummed quietly in front of him, and the vending machine began complaining with odd rattling sounds. "All these years, he helped cover up my scars so that I could live as a productive member of society, and now that I cannot contribute to it, it's time for me to fulfill my end of the bargain."

Zoro frowned at him scornfully. "And this is _exactly_ why I ended up leaving that planet, because of stupid expectations like that!"

"It's only fair that I do, considering he gave me life. Now, he can have it back, and then some."

Zoro was quiet for a few moments, and then he continued on his way to the vending machine. He found his snack, and once he retrieved it, grumbling about Nami's prices, he returned to the desk. He opened the bag and ate a couple, crunching noisily on them while Law looked up at him with disgust. Before he could get up and walk away, Zoro said, "So don't. Don't go back, don't give him shit. It's easy. You paid your debt all this time, right?"

Law had expected him to say something like that. He wondered what sort of life Zoro had lived where he felt he didn't have to follow anybody else's rules. And, for the moment, he wondered what it felt to live that way, too. But he thought about the days he spent with Corazon, with Doflamingo himself. He hadn't been treated badly, he had everything he wanted, and life had been good.

Until the makeup had worn off. It was almost ironic how his side of the universe had enough advanced technology to get by, but not enough for him to cast an illusion to hide his scars, choosing Earth's makeup to do so.

"No, it's not. It's not that easy at all."

"Will the situation turn out like this one?" Zoro asked, making a circling gesture that Law interpreted it to mean Sanji's.

"No."

"It sounds like he gives a shit about you, so have Corazon sneak away to join you here."

"He has a good relationship with his brother. Together, the pair of them have ruled fairly. There hasn't been much strife on our planet because of it. I am only one person, and a useless one at that, so my life isn't as valuable."

Zoro studied him for a few moments. He took in the sight of the catman's lowered ears, the narrow slits of his eyes as he frowned at the desk top. He really wasn't that bad looking of a guy, and Zoro supposed that Law had his good points. He had the potential to be a strong sword fighter, a stubborn streak a mile-wide, and wasn't afraid to do something uncomfortable for others; so Zoro didn't understand why the man choose to follow politics for a planet that rejected him. Maybe he just needed something else to fight for.

With a sardonic half smile, he said, "Yeah, you're a little useless on the battlefield, but, hey, whatever, right? At least you know how to use a band-aid. So, what can change this guy's mind? Y'know, about the entire life for a life, thing?"

"I don't know. He was counting on that marriage to expand his kingdom." Law scratched lightly at the discoloration on his hands, the tattoo on his fingers. It struck Zoro at that moment that the man had never seemed self-conscious or insecure about his scars – he wasn't afraid to flaunt himself with the others when it was too hot for them to bare.

"So, that tat? That's relevant to your situation?"

"As English is a universal language, _yes_ , it was put onto my hands to signal the reason for my banishment from home. The others are symbols from Corazon's court, and the one on my back was my own to personify my profession, in the event of accident and I can't be identified. Most of us have them, you know."

" _Only_ the guys in court. Not special guys like me."

Zoro finished with his Funyans, then crumbled the bag into a tight ball. He threw it in the direction the trash can, but missed it completely. Then said, "What's going to happen when you finish the job here? You think it'll be easier leaving us all behind? We _love_ you."

Law tried not to react, but his lips twitched briefly. "You are so…"

"I'm just making a general statement. Once the others hear of it – "

"I'm going to ask, as…friends, if you'd not repeat this to anyone."

"Well, too bad. Because I don't consider myself a friend of yours."

Scowling, Law watched him leave, yawning noisily as he took to the stairway. He signed out of the computer and then followed him upstairs.

: :

The next morning was bright and alive with chirping birds and the steady sounds of traffic. It took Sanji a few moments to process these noises, momentarily disoriented as to where he was. Once he lifted his head from the soft mats, blinking in reacting to the blinding light of the sun coming in through the open window, he remembered where he was. The narrow room reflected all the light from the outside, flying birds casting brief shadows on the walls. Everything came back to him, and he quickly stood up and went to the window, nearly tripping over his blankets. Slamming up against the window, he peered outside, looking at the birds taking flight, at morning joggers taking advantage of the early morning hour, and light traffic. The skies were building with color as the sun rose grandly in the distance.

He found his translator and hooked that to his ear before he left the room in a hurry, making sure to slide on the sandals that were sitting outside of the apartment, near a row of others that stretched down the hall. Apparently, everyone left their shoes outside, and this was a concept he'd have to get used, to. _Shoes_. He then ran downstairs to the front office. No one was there, but the sidewalks outside were light with sluggish pedestrians and animals on leashes. He pushed up against the door to take everything in, excited about this new world, and enjoying the new visuals around him. Only the door was locked, and rattled in his hands. He hurried back upstairs, then headed for Law's room, because he didn't know which one Zoro was in. His front door wasn't locked, and he found the man sleeping in the same style bedroll he had been in the center of a sparsely furnished room that was separated from a small kitchen unit, and a larger bathroom closed off by a regular wall and a sliding door. There were bookshelves stuffed with books, some of which were opened and marked with either pens or notepads. Breathing slightly heavy from the physical efforts of climbing the stairways, Sanji crouched next to him, whispering his name.

The man grumbled and pulled the blankets more firmly around him, so Sanji played with his ears. They were soft and fuzzy on the outside, and he enjoyed the texture of the inside of the flap until he heard the low growling from within the blankets. He leaned down low to whisper, "I want to go outside. The door is locked."

Of course, he realized the man didn't have his translator on him to understand his words, so Sanji just pointed insistently at the balcony doors for Law to see, pulling the blanket from his sleep heavy eyes to do so. Once he did, he growled out, "Dresser. _Keys_."

Scrambling to his feet, Sanji found the ring of keys sitting there, and he hurried out without saying anything else. Once outside, he inhaled of the warm morning air, and was a little taken back by the smell of pollutants mixed with sea. The air was humid, but with a sort of different texture to Little Garden's. He wandered out onto the sidewalk, taking in the sight of leashed animals walked by sluggishly moving owners, and joggers that breathed determinedly with their steps.

He walked towards the left, looking up at the street potted trees, the fences that created narrow pathways for pedestrians, most of whom were taking routes in sharp suits and travel mugs. He listened to dogs bark, and heard the repetitive sounds of large vehicles. He examined pristinely kept yards as he came to them, awed at the sights of carefully trimmed trees and welcoming porches. Walking on, he waited with a group of people that were looking to cross the busy road, and a few looked at him with suspicion and bewilderment. When they crossed, he crossed with them, enjoying the sights of birds taking flight around the looping wires that took from one street pole to the other. The smell of the sea became stronger, so he ventured in that direction until he came to an abandoned section of the city that had red warning signs, tape, and flashing road blocks. But he noticed people ignoring the signs, either crossing through them or crawling over the concrete barriers to take a shortcut, so he did, as well.

When he came upon a section of the city that had been covered with water, he looked over it with amazement. There were buildings as far as he could see peering up from the surface, and others that just barely glimmered below the slight waves. Crouching, he reached out and touched the water, finding it slightly cool to the touch. Fish glimmered as they coasted over painted roads and darted into storm drains.

He walked back and sat on one of the barriers, watching the submerged city for a while. He thought about his siblings at that moment; about how different Yonji and Reiju looked now that they were older. Reiju was the spitting image of their mother, but there was a perfectly controlled mask to her face that made him wonder about her true intentions. Yonji had always been the 'bulky' one out of all of them, but he was now a powerhouse. It only made him wonder how Ichiji and Niji were – if both of them had changed at all; if Ichiji was still quietly sociopathic and Niji violently dangerous.

He remembered that the last time he'd seen them; it was just after his father had broken his back, and they were standing outside the cell. There had been no compassion or empathy in their eyes at all; they laughed at him, mocked him, and said terrible things, and Sanji couldn't imagine a world where things like this didn't happen to other people. Now that they were older, he knew they wouldn't hold back. As children they were dangerous – he could only imagine what they were like as adults.

He picked at his nails, which were short and rounded, remembering Law's careful actions. He wondered why a complete stranger could do something so small for him, when his own family had wanted him dead, wanted him erased from memory. He just didn't understand.

He could feel that hot place under his ribs starting to burn again. It didn't hurt – it was just a ball of energy that made his face tight and his eyes narrow. He had the thought, over a million times, that they should've just killed him a long time ago. What was the point in letting him rot away in that small cell all these years? Had it always been their intention? But he stopped wanting their approval along time ago.

He did have anger; he felt resentment. He felt frustration, and he felt madness that had him carrying conversations with himself and the rats for years until he just stopped talking. These hot feelings were quieter than the rest of the emotions he felt. Right now, he was in awe of the changes around him. He wanted to see it all – all the colors, all the sights, all the differences in other places than Germa's polluted world. This was all his mind marveled at.

But there were big things that were starting to sneak in amidst the grief he felt as the result of not being the person he'd once thought he would be; there was the siblings' discovery of him, and their intended action towards him and the others; Zeff's impending fate. There was his sexuality, which confused him. He'd been brought up understanding he'd be married to a woman, but two catmen drew his sexual interest. Which was intensely mystifying because they weren't fully human, so he felt like a deviant; which made him feel ashamed and backwards, considering how Law treated him, so he _knew it was wrong_.

There was his confusion over his position in the universe, which gave him nothing to focus on. Most of his life he was told he was worthless and there had been no point to his existence, and because of those years in the dungeon, he believed it. Now that he was experiencing things away from it, he felt like he'd entered a room where he clearly didn't belong, but didn't know how to get out of.

He wasn't sure what his position was amongst this group of extraordinary men, who willingly stepped in to help. He was starting to feel the edges of a smothering sensation easing up around his thoughts, subtly reminding him that he had nothing to give anyone here in return for their acts of kindness towards him. He wondered when they'd turn on him like his siblings had, when they would decide for themselves that he was worthless.

It was like a wall of feeling crashing against a door of thought, just waiting to break through. He was tired of thinking of all those things; right now, he only wanted to experience the newness of the environment he was in. Sort out the difficult things later.

He stared over the section of buildings covered by water. It was like he was looking at a physical manifestation of all these feelings inside of himself. Seagulls flapped over the waters, alighted over exposed rooftops and abandoned buildings with shattered windows. The sounds of the city above him, lifted high above the rising sea, coasted past him with whirring activity.

He eventually realized that the sun had lifted high up in the sky, and the warmth was stifling. The insects made so much noise that it was distracting, and the streets and sidewalk seemed to simmer, baking underneath the warm sun. He was stiff as he finally arose from his seated position, and began to make his way back. The pathways were tough to negotiate, considering that most looked alike, but he eventually reached the cul de sac where the buildings surrounding theirs came into view. He found himself looking off to the side at the sound of a cat, and saw one sitting on a fencepost, looking down at him with a scowl.

Once he made it back to the building, he felt exhausted. It was too hot, and he was so thirsty, and walking felt like an immense chore. Nami dashed over to meet him near the door, looking utterly grateful.

" _Jesus H Christ_!" she shouted, pulling him after her. "We've been looking for you all morning! Where have you been? The first day on Earth, and you're lost!"

He let her pull him to the back, where there was a small kitchen hidden away. She directed him to sit, and he sat reluctantly, eyelids drooping. His legs and feet felt sore, and the moment he felt comfortable enough to rest, he decided on doing so right at the counter.

"Drink this, eat this, first!" she said firmly, pushing a cup of water towards him. It was delicious, fresh, crisp, and it had ice cubes in it. He drank it hastily, just as she finished making him a ham and cheese sandwich. The sight of food made his stomach growl noisily, and he practically snatched it from her hands, salivating immediately. She watched him eat for a few moments, wondering if she should say anything about his eating habits. Then left him, going to the phone and dialing a number, then another, making sure everyone knew that he was back.

After he was finished, he finished off the water, then left the table. He felt exhausted. He made his way upstairs, and collapsed onto his bed, laying in the light of the sun. He was asleep in moments, utterly drained.

When he awoke, he was being dragged out of the sunlight and forced up, and he really couldn't walk because he felt intensely nauseated, and dizzy. His food and water sloshed around in his stomach, and he uttered a long groan, sure he was going to throw up.

"Sorry. This was my fault. I should have been more aware of your impulses, by now," he heard Law grumble, moving towards a place that was pleasantly cool, and Sanji tried not to throw up. In moments he was immersed, clothes and all, into lukewarm water, and it was a shock because he wasn't expecting it, and at the same time, he was grateful for the relief it provided. For a few minutes he just sat there, saying nothing, his fuzzy mind slowly sorting through the things he felt.

It was a small enclosure - his legs couldn't straighten all the way, and the tiles made him feel claustrophobic. But Law had the portable showerhead in hand, and he used it over Sanji's back, cooling him down as safely as possible.

"Too much heat and sun," Law said, sitting on the side of the tub to perform this action. "And none of us could find you. You produce chemical smells, so Luffy couldn't track you. And neither Zoro and I could do it, either."

"I'm sorry," Sanji apologized, understanding that he'd made the mistake. He would have to work on it.

"I understand that you're excited about this world, but you must _think_ before running headfirst into something impulsively."

"I just wanted to see everything! Why do I have to ask permission on what to do? I'm a man, now, right? Can't a man make his own damn decisions?"

Law would have agreed, but Sanji was glaring at his knees, looking blustered – much like a child blurting out his reasons for doing the things he did. So he couldn't quite respond seriously to that statement without thinking of him as a child.

"You could've seriously caused more harm to yourself. We would've never found you, and the hospital wouldn't know how to identify you," Law scolded him, forcing his head back to administer a shower of water to the crown, cool water sloshing over his hair. "You've got to be more cautious."

"Well, maybe if you didn't just go back to sleep and came with me, this wouldn't have happened! I don't want to stay cooped up in a room all damn day," Sanji said with some forceful action, still scowling at his knees.

After a few moments of silence, Law then snapped, "Instead of blaming everyone for your action, you fucking take responsibility for what you caused! You do something to cause someone trouble, you own up to it, instead of offering up excuses as to _why_ you did it!"

"Don't yell at me! I can understand you just fine!"

"I'm not yelling!" Law insisted, lifting the handheld shower head to run it over him one more time, and Sanji reached out and pushed it away, thinking he was going to strike him with it. Awkwardly, Law lowered it, and Sanji froze because he was trying to read the other man's action, feeling his heart race in anticipation of a fight.

It wasn't as if he weren't scolded, before, but he was waiting for something else to follow those angry words. He struggled not to show any fear, to show anything that gave off fear over physical retaliation, or a verbal attack on him as a person.

Tense seconds passed, and he looked over at Law cautiously, watching him warily. He wasn't sure what the catman was thinking at that moment, tail flicking, head tilted, but those amber eyes of his were considering his overall presentation. Then he fiddled with the hose and turned off the faucet, setting it aside neatly.

"Am I…in trouble with everyone?" Sanji asked nervously.

"Were you struck a lot as a child?" Law asked instead.

"Wasn't everyone? I would've hit you back, but I know I'm not strong enough to take a hit, yet."

Law considered that instinct of his. Then said carefully, "No one here would strike you so callously. When we do, it's not intended to hurt, but to catch attention, or…dare I say it, with affection…"

"How do you strike with 'affection'?" Sanji asked curiously.

"Er…you'll see. But none of us here are…abusive. Which sounds like it was…a part of your life. I suspect that you'll have to unlearn certain things in order to fit in, but I assure you, now, none of us would…be so cruel to another human being. In the way that you're used to."

Sanji didn't believe him, but he did doubt himself after thinking about their actions so far. They didn't have to protect him from Yonji, or make such an effort to escape with him when they were attacked at the outpost. And Law's hands on him had been kind, and Zoro's was a rough sort of affection…

Seeing that he was thinking, Law said, "Zeff will have a few things to say to you. With his health, you must think of your actions affecting his. As much as he tries not to show it, he's…his body is deteriorating. You must do what you can to help him."

Sanji nodded slightly. "Okay."

Law then reached out and checked his temperature with what looked like a pad of stickers. He slapped one on Sanji's forehead, and once he found the numbers satisfactory, he peeled it off and crumpled it, throwing it towards the trash can. "Here's a towel. Nami said she'd run out to the store for some clothes, so she should be back, shortly."

"And the others?"

"They wandered off to the ship to make some repairs. Zeff should be back, by now. Go and apologize to him after you're dressed."

Sanji hesitated, looking intensely worried. "Is he…mad at me?"

"Just very concerned."

Sanji nodded, taking off his clothes and then drying himself off. When Nami returned with a bagful of things, she tossed it into the room, so Sanji dressed quickly. He pulled on the tank top that had the 'M' insignia of a nearby fastfood restaurant on it, and some light drawstring shorts. When Law was checking over his exposed skin for any sign of any lingering skin problems, Sanji felt a little discomfort in the action, looking up at the man as he concentrated on the task. Sanji wasn't sure if the hands that handled him carefully felt good on his skin, or if it were just the sensation of being cared for. He wasn't sure if the feelings he felt as he looked up at the other man were simple admiration, or another part of his strange sexual attraction.

He was confused with the things he felt, unsure of how to sort them out. His body said one thing, but his mind said another, and both of them had come to an agreement that felt foreign with his emotions.

Law had told him he were confused because he hadn't experienced touch from another person in some time. Sanji supposed it was only that, but he felt his face flush as the catman's eyes coursed over him with examination, frowning, ears flicking before he said, "We'll get some weight on you before you leave, that's for sure. This extra hair throughout your body here, in these patches, should fall off as you start accumulating some body fat."

No matter what his mind told him, or what Law had warned him about before, Sanji found himself focusing on the other man's face. He felt a great deal of things for this man, and he wasn't sure how to sort through them and decide that they were 'appropriate' when it wasn't something he was used to. So when he felt the impulse, he went with it. He reached up and then leaned up on his tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He liked the sensation of Law's skin against his, and he liked the unusual thrill of it that swept over him. But he felt an immediate difference doing it as an adult than it did when he was a child, and drew back, wearing a baffled expression.

"Er, t-thank you!" he sputtered, unsure about the feelings coursing through him at that moment, feeling his face redden. He immediately felt he'd done something wrong, and he watched as Law's face flushed, and he drew back like he'd been struck.

"Listen," Law said quickly, "You can't do that. All right? It's not…it's not appropriate."

"But my mom used to do it to me after, so I just thought – "

"It's not appropriate between _men_ , okay? Just…just say 'thank you'."

At war with his own confliction, Sanji pulled his hands back, balling them into fists. "But I like you because you're nice to me…Is it wrong?"

Red faced and stumbling over his words quickly, Law admonished, "No - no, it's just…you can't do that, that's not…age appropriate, and your – you – _you_ don't 'like' another man, I mean, it's _okay_ , but it's not…that sort of thing isn't…acceptable, and you just…the more you're here, the more you'll see what I mean, but please refrain from showing this type of - affection to others, because – it's not the norm. I'm sure it was for a _kid_ , but it's not…it's just not something you do now, okay?"

"But it feels good when I do it, and I like it, so why is it wrong?" Sanji asked with rising frustration. "I…I want to express myself with the things – like how my mom did for me, because they were – they meant that she cared, so I care for what you've done, and – "

"Because it's an intimate gesture between…uh, parent and child, or – or lovers, and it's just not something you do here. Not…not at your age, to another man, it'll…give a mixed message, or…it could be an invitation, and – you – you just shouldn't do it. We, uh, express affection in other ways, but definitely not with our lips. Unless you're married, like Nami and Luffy. Or a couple. I'm sure you'll see what I mean, soon, these streets, they're…very open."

"I did it because I wanted to express gratitude - "

"Don't kiss anybody else, okay? This will… _this_ will stay between us. It's…something you learn, fast, that it's not acceptable. Don't do it to Zoro, don't do it to Nami, don't do it with Zeff. Everyone here will react…weird."

Sanji processed that for a moment, feeling ashamed for the impulsive reaction, then nodded solemnly. He had so much confusion, he just didn't know what to say, or feel, anymore. "Okay. I'm sorry I kissed you."

"Whoooa! Whoa _whoa_ whoa! What did I just walk into?" Zoro asked, retreating back to the door.

"It's not what you think!" Law snapped at him, red-faced.

"I'm starting to think you're a secret predator," Zoro said, looking at him sternly.

" _I'm not_!"

Sanji watched this happen, feeling the awkwardness between them as Zoro narrowed his eyes and looked at Law suspiciously. Law's reaction was plain mortification, and his face and neck were red with it. Sanji felt sheepish for his actions, unsure of what to say to explain himself.

"Don't run off like that, what's the matter with you?" Zoro then asked him, reaching out and knocking him upside the head with his knuckles. Sanji got that gesture right away; but it wasn't administered to hurt. Just to drive in a point. To Law, Zoro said, "Let's go get some sparring in, then."

"Jesus, I was sore for days after – I have surgery tomorrow, maybe it can – "

"Oh, okay, I understand," Zoro said with a nod, Sanji watching them interact. He supposed if he had to do this 'affection' thing right between men, he'd better learn now. He looked at Zoro, furrowing his brow. The catman was pretty handsome in his own standing, and Sanji felt flushed just looking at him. He was walking around shirtless, with a light sheen of sweat on him, and Sanji couldn't help but admire his tightly packed muscles. He still wanted to reach out and touch them just to see what it all felt like. His hands tingled with the urge, but he balled them into fists, keeping them steady at his sides. His eyes traced over the long scar down his chest, wondering where it came from. He really wanted to reach out and touch it, to see if it felt as lumpy as it looked, but he tightened his fists instead. He was determined to working on keeping his impulses in check.

Law watched Sanji stare at Zoro. How could the catman _not_ notice he was being looked at so closely by another male? He couldn't help but draw his eyebrows into a concerned furrow, feeling a little flustered because if any other man caught Sanji looking at him like that, he was sure something would be said, and – he would have to talk to Sanji about keeping his admiration to a safe looking distance.

"And I'll totally understand when _I die_ because you can't fucking fight," Zoro continued, looking matter of fact about it.

"You're such an asshole," Law snapped at him.

"But then again, considering how easy you're giving up anyway – "

"I'll be right there! Fuck! Shove off!"

Sanji took notes as Zoro smirked with satisfaction, and Law looked pissed, but intending on meeting the tiger for more sparring. He nodded, as if he'd made a decision, muttering the curses he'd heard as he then went looking for Zeff. He found the old man frowning crossly at the outside sidewalk, sitting on a chair that looked like it had been picked up from the streets. Once he saw Sanji, he gestured at him to come over, and Sanji did so meekly, sure that the older man was disappointed in him.

"Did you have fun?" Zeff asked him, frowning at his appearance. "Who dressed you? You look like you're wearing shit from the kids' department."

After that situation upstairs, Sanji studied the older man for a few moments before answering. He did not feel the urge to touch or kiss him in similar fashion as he did with Law. He just felt hopeful. Eager to keep Zeff's attention, to please him.

"Nami bought me clothes. And there was a lot to see. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, I just wanted to go outside - !"

"I'm sure you've heard enough of it already from those two cretins. But if you do that again, I will kick your skinny ass myself. You put us into worry like that, you deserve to get your ass beat from here to the East Blue. Use your damn brain, think about your actions, and how they'll affect others! Is this understood?"

"…Yes. I'm sorry," Sanji apologized, thinking he couldn't get away with talking to Zeff the way the catmen did to each other.

Giving him an affectionate look, Zeff said, "I'll go easy on you this once, but if you do shit like that again, I'm not going to let it go. This clear?"

"Yes."

Zeff then exhaled heavily, reaching over to touch him. He noticed the flinch that occurred, Sanji's body stiff before slowly relaxing underneath Zeff's hand. With a firm grasp of his shoulder, he said, "If we're to do this, kiddo, we need to understand each other. I'm going to give you what I can, with what I have left. So I need you to put effort into it, too. I know this is a new place and all, but you've got some time to explore. It won't be going away that fast."

Sanji nodded because he understood, and Zeff rose from the chair. "Let's go cut your hair properly. After that, your education starts today. Let's get you in a kitchen."

: :

Nami exhaled heavily as she sat back down into the chair – after running errands for most of the day, she was bushed. Most of the guys were back at the shop, working on _Merry Go_ , and she could hear Zeff going over basic kitchen instruction around the corner, Carne contributing here and there, with Sanji asking questions. She didn't understand a word that was being said, and she wasn't about to turn on a translator to eavesdrop. She knew that on the third floor, Zoro and Law were doing their swordsmen thing, and she could hear their voices upon occasion coming down from the stairway.

It was nice hearing everyone around her. On the days when they were all gone, she did get a little lonely. She dumped the contents of her purse over the desktop, and then picked up the one receipt that stood out. It was a postage note, and she examined it with a frown.

"Address it to 'Corazon'," Zoro had told her, holding up an envelope that held something small. "He's expecting this."

"What is it?" she asked skeptically, taking it from him and finding it sealed. Like that would stop her from investigating – she knew how to remove the seal of an envelope and use tape to reseal it like a decent snoop.

"Law was supposed to return this to him."

"Oh, that other guy's ring?" she asked, frowning. "I heard about that. It's too bad, but he doesn't seem broken up about it."

"He's not," Zoro told her with a shrug. "But Corazon is."

"I'm not going to get into trouble, am I?" she asked cautiously. "Did Law really want this sent off? Why are you doing it?"

"Sometimes, a guy's gotta watch out for another, even when he's been prissy about it. 'Stay out of my business!' 'Stop mocking me!' 'Don't read my mail and listen in on my private conversations!' Blah, blah blah."

"Oh, Zoro, sometimes…I think you and Luffy are related, somehow," she commented with a heavy sigh. "I think when Luffy asked that you get him to open up, I don't think he meant it this way."

"I get that Luffy was curious, and I was too, but…I think we're good, right now. I think we're set. And when you send that ring back, it'll be even better."

"Or, you might be exposing something that was hidden away for a reason," she said.

He had thought about it for a moment, but then shrugged, and went back to his apartment – he'd been banned from the search party, being that he'd get lost himself, and had been napping this entire time.

Nami had done it, though. She wondered what the big fuss was about.

The next evening before dinner, Zeff had taken to his bed for the evening, and Law was moments from following his example. Nami had gone up with Carne and Sanji to check on them, and she'd never seen the man look so exhausted, before. He'd conducted the 'operation' in Zeff's room for most of the day, and while she wasn't sure of what he'd done exactly, she knew it had something to do with his abilities.

"I managed to remove about forty five percent of it," he said, blinking blearily, looking drained. "I'm actually very optimistic about removing more the next session, but it all depends on how much it….repli…re…"

"You said, it all depends on whether or not the abnormal cells reproduce from now and there," Carne said helpfully, understanding that he was tired.

"Yes. _That_. I estimate at least five more sessions before it's manageable," he said.

"And if you're being optimistic, then I'm sure that's a great thing, because you're never optimistic," Nami said cheerfully. "Good job, today, then! I'll save you some dinner! Carne whipped up some really great barbeque."

Before Law could make his way to his room, Sanji hurried over to him from Zeff's side, and then hesitated for a few moments. With some caution, he reached out and gave his shoulder a single pat, saying, "Thanks a lot, asshole. You really made a difference today."

He then looked proud of himself, because he thought that had sounded like manly affection, and he'd heard Bepo saying this to Franky earlier today - missing the sarcasm in it because Franky had only laughed.

Law snorted, but he took it. He liked the pleased feeling he felt at Sanji's efforts. "Yeah. You're welcome."

: :

Ichiji frowned at the three faces that watched him carefully after he'd reviewed the footage. He couldn't believe that they'd given up that easily when it came to their brother, and he could only imagine their father's shock when he found out that Sanji had survived all this time. He felt disappointed in that Yonji hadn't followed protocol when it came to locating the 'junk' ship that he'd run into, and in Reiju for allowing her younger brother to be so careless.

"First off, Yonji, did you go back and retrieve the transporting company's name from the warehouse's system? You'd think by doing so, you'd get their information from that and –"

Yonji threw his arms out with exasperation, nearly hitting Niji and Reiju if they hadn't moved appropriately. "I did! I took the name of their ship from the moment I left them the first time, but…I can't seem to locate them in the system, _anywhere_ , and the only address I pulled from the tracking system was a number series that means fuck-all to me."

"The warehouse doesn't release this information in their tracking system, we'd have to go there in person to retrieve it. The numbers that he retrieved were only the permission codes they were granted temporarily into the system," Niji told Ichiji. "Because of how easy it is to hack into their stupid database, and protect the information on their customers, they keep that information by hand on the premises. If we go in there and demand it, it's going to look suspicious, so I'm not sure how you want to do that."

"I've pulled faces from images, but there are at least twelve other people with similar faces and make," Reiju said, pulling up her information, and displaying all the panels in a row. She'd managed to get clear cuts of Luffy, Zoro, Law and Bepo, but there were one hundred and sixty other men with similar faces throughout the universe displayed right with them. They would have to track each individual down just to find the right ones.

"If we start sending this information out, we're going to get noticed, bro," Yonji warned. "If people hear that the Vinsmokes are looking for someone, they're going to be suspicious as to why and who. We need to make up a reason for it."

Ichiji frowned tightly, sitting back in his chair, drumming his fingers top of the armrest. Reiju had changed into a house dress, which was comprised of a bright pink fabric that glimmered under the light. Yonji was wearing a frilly shirt underneath an open vest, and shorts with high socks, which had Niji kicking him for looking so childish.

The library was grand, shelves filled with books, with droids waiting for their command. The curtains were pulled open, revealing a heavy blanket of fog over the Red Sea. The sun was a red-orange globe in the distance.

"Then we look for them," he said, firmly. "Each one. If they're half animals, then cross out the humans. That should lower the number. Unfortunately, we'll have to tell father what's happened. Whatever they plan on doing with Sanji, it will come back to us eventually. We have to accept this. Whether they use him for ransom, or for whatever reason they think they have over us, we'll just have to think of an appropriate story to give in order to give us time to settle this problem permanently."

"Well, here's a crazy idea," Reiju said, lifting her eyebrows, "how about if we just let him go?"

"What's _wrong_ with you?"

"Why would you even _think_ that?"

"Don't know what they're _capable_ of?"

"I'm just saying this because…he's no worth to the empire. He's no worth to father, and none of us feel anything towards him that makes him valuable. I say just let the trash stay with trash, and let it be."

"He might come back for revenge, Reiju!" Niji snapped at her.

"So, does that mean we're _afraid_ of him, then?" she asked, eyebrows lifted. "One person has the ability to bring down the Vinsmoke Empire? This worthless, useless human that couldn't even break himself out of a dungeon after all these years, who survived on rats – we're _afraid_ of him?"

"I see what you're trying to say, sister, but it's not a viable option," Ichiji said, leaning an elbow onto an armrest. "It's a disgrace. What will people say about us, then? We can't even finish the job of tending to our prisoners, to our trash. We had a weakling in the family who can possibly plan a coup against us, after knowing what we're capable of. I'm sure father can think of other reasons why Sanji shouldn't be alive, but…right now, he needs to be eliminated."

"I think I see sis's point, too," Yonji said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Like…he's not worth anything of value, but, like, that old guy really wanted him."

"A secret pervert," Reiju whispered, then covered her mouth, as if horrified.

"You are _obsessed_ with such filth," Niji said, looking at her with disgust.

"That's the only reason why I think they'd try so hard for someone - !"

"Like, that's not what I think at all, I don't share her opinion, but I don't think any of those guys really cared who Sanji really is," Yonji continued over them. "They just…choose to do something for someone that…is probably like them? You know what I mean?"

"No, I don't," Ichiji said flatly. "Both of you have an unpopular opinion."

"We'll keep looking for them, that's all it comes down, to. I don't want people knowing that we're related to him. Let the dead be dead," Niji exclaimed.

Reiju shrugged, crossing her arms lightly over her stomach. "Whatever you guys want to do, I'm ready for it."

"I kinda want to go over their battle style with you guys," Yonji said, lifting his wrist to release the footage from his armband when Ichiji held up his hand.

"First off, we'll tell father what's happening. Then go off what he decides. He might have a better way around this search party."

"Or, we can ask your wife if she'd have any idea who these men were," Reiju said, lifting her eyebrows. "Where is she? Recovering?"

Ichiji gave a somewhat evil smirk. "…Sort of. You're right. I'll ask her later."

" _Ew_ ," Niji muttered.

"He even brags about it," Yonji mumbled with disgust.

"Shut up, you two! Just wait til you have one! By the time you get a wife of your own, you won't know what to do with it!"

"'Her'," Reiju corrected, but she went unheard as both Yonji and Niji spoke at the same time, complaining about their reasons why they shouldn't be 'tied down', weakened by pussy. She rolled her eyes. She looked back at the faces that had yet to be identified as the men that had defied them, and smiled slightly.


	14. Value

**A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! This was an extra long chapter – hopefully it'll give more of an idea of where it's going to go. :D Yes, there is a reference to 'Futurama' in there.  
**

 **14: Value**

Jajji looked over the four faces that faced him. Hours after his return, he was summoned to a private meeting with his children, and, judging from their expressions, it wasn't something he wanted to hear. After settling in his own room, he removed his traveling cape, excused the servants that promptly left the room upon his gesture. As he removed his helmet, he shifted his step over to his favorite chair and sat heavily, feeling tired after all the traveling he'd done.

"Welcome back, father," Ichiji said, face shifting with a grim expression. Standing tall in his red robes with black trousers, his arms folded behind him, he'd removed his sunglasses, letting them dangle just below his jawline. "I'm sorry to bother you when you've barely had a chance to settle in, but this is rather urgent. During a routine investigation into prying eyes over our personal files, Yonji happened upon a junkyard transporting service that had been in the act of delivering a package mailed from the south tower trash barge to a destination in the East Blue. In that box…well, it was discovered that Sanji was inside of it. Someone had broken him out of the dungeons and, er, mailed him away from here."

Jajji's eyebrows lifted with question. For a few moments, he was silent, shock playing on his features before he repeated, "' _Sanji'_?"

"Yes, father."

"Looking all mutated, and shit," Yonji whispered.

"He's now under the care of an elderly man that once worked for you, father," Reiju added quietly. "Who apparently escaped the dungeons as well, a long time ago."

"So, what should we do? Should we finish the job?" Niji asked, cracking his knuckles. "Because we can."

"I feel that with him being free, he is capable of finding the resources necessary to take revenge for our treatment of him," Ichiji said. "We must react quickly to put out this fire. I can see him being so petty about what we were to him, as children."

"'Petty'?" Reiju asked carefully. When three faces looked at her with question, she said with a smile, "Extra salty, you mean."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"I still find it ridiculous that we should fear this one person whose worth isn't much to us, father," Reiju said, almost complaining. "We're making too much of a deal of it."

Jajji held up a finger, then rubbed his massive chin for a few moments, frowning heavily. The siblings stared up at him anxiously, almost pacing in place as they waited for his directive. Reiju watched her father cautiously, hand on her hip, nudging Yonji away from her when his prance became a little too much for her.

"Sanji is… _alive_?" Jajji asked, his tone confused. He resumed frowning, leaning back in his chair with a shift of his feet. "All this time? How long have you known that this was happening?"

"Pops, didn't he die in that explosion on the sea?" Yonji asked. "These guys think he survived and got tossed in the cells below, and _he_ told me he was there all this time, so I didn't know who to believe – "

"No, Yonji, I'm afraid that I'd told you a little white lie," Jajji said stiffly, looking irritated as he reached back and pulled his hair from behind the chair and his massive back, sweeping it over one shoulder.

Yonji gaped up at him in shock, then looked at his siblings, all of whom looked smug that they knew the truth before he did. But Ichiji frowned at Reiju because he had no idea that she'd known, and Niji frowned up at his father, saying, "What are we going to do about it, dad?"

"Why…why lie to me?" Yonji asked, sounding shocked. "Why…?"

"The reason why I did is because I felt you could not keep the secret as well as your siblings," Jajji said firmly. "You tend to act impulsively, and speak impulsively. But I apologize for the deceiving, son. I had not expected this to happen in such a way. I had thought he'd perished years ago. Why did you not call me with this news when it first happened?"

Floundering, Yonji struggled not to look upset as Ichiji stepped forward, saying, "We thought we could take care of the problem while you were away, and didn't want to trouble you. Unfortunately, things happened to a point where he was taken in by a group of men involved in that transporting service, and while we're currently searching for them, I'd like a directive from you on how to handle the situation."

"How is he still alive?" Jajji repeated, still in shock over this revelation. He couldn't believe it. The last time he'd actually approached the dungeon was years ago, when he'd left the boy to rot down there. He'd been a teenager, then – deformed as a product of malnutrition and the injury he'd created when he himself checked on Sanji as a child. He'd been too rough with him, then, almost breaking him at that time. Disappointed that the boy hadn't changed his heart in any way, Jajji had left him defenseless to die slowly, to think about what sort of failure he was. Jajji looked deep down inside of himself for any feeling that he might have for Sanji – all he saw, when he looked at his grown children now, was the image of his wife glaring back at him from the bed, heavy with their babies, vowing revenge.

Jajji was truly curious as to if the modifications Sanji had received as a child had somehow kicked in. For a moment, he heard his wife's voice filter in through his thoughts, but he ignored her. "No one goes down there, anymore. Have you questioned the servants?"

Ichiji straightened his shoulders. "All the ones that knew he was there were 'fired' a long time ago. There are no records of use since the last time you sentenced a man to die down there, _plus_ , after Niji investigated the dungeons, he's discovered that Sanji thrived on rats, and had rats assisting him with the nearby trash tunnel."

Jajji's eyes narrowed, lips curling with disgust. " _Rats_? Trash? And his cell was in the middle, how was it that he was moved to that particular cell?"

His eyebrows lifting with surprise at Jajji's bewilderment to the moving of Sanji from cell to the other, Ichiji quickly said, "I'm still working on that, father."

"What matters is that he's out there, now," Reiju said. "Under the old man's care. Zeff Redleg. Do you remember him?"

Jajji looked off to the side, struggling to pull up a picture. So she lifted her arm and pressed down on her wristband, the holographic image of Zeff popping up in fullsize form before her.

Niji snapped his fingers. "I should've remembered _my_ presentation!"

"Listing his home in the East Blue, he somehow made contact with the transporting service," Reiju said grimly. "They met at this point, this smuggler's outpost. Unfortunately, they were able to get away. After taking some still images from our body cam, I am running an identifying check on some of the men involved, but there are one hundred and sixty men that resemble them throughout the universe, so Ichiji thought we should visit each one."

Jajji nodded, frowning at the hologram. "Damn. I remember him only vaguely. He was the one that had Sanji assisting him in the kitchen like some damn slave. I thought I'd killed him, also."

"He broke out of the dungeon, somehow," Reiju said, removing the picture.

"The back cell was only mounted with a crudely made metal wall, in which the rats were able to access the trash tunnel," Niji said. "If he were put in a cell, he was put in _that_ one, which would make sense if he escaped, because the trash tunnel is right there, and the barge is always on time."

"How was this man able to break out of _bedrock_? And what would he want with someone else's trash?" Jajji asked, bewildered. "How did he know that Sanji was down there? Was this entire thing orchestrated by him?"

"Niji believes it was for an immoral, disgusting purpose," Reiju said quickly, her brother looking at her with a sputter.

"It's quite possible, there are men that prefer kids for revolting acts of sexual satisfaction," Jajji grumbled.

Ichiji's siblings all jostled him with chiming exclamations of disgust and revulsion, the man reddening as deep as his suit before Jajji lifted his hands to signal at them to calm down.

"Your brother's case is quite different," he muttered. "It is a man's right to enjoy what his wife brings to the union, and there should be no judgment on his part because of it. Otherwise, why marry her in the first place, if she isn't there to provide some sort of service?"

"Ichiji, you will ask her to slip some information underground to look for these men," he then said as Reiju frowned at her father. "As much as I hate to admit it, if we can't find them through our usual means, we will use hers. I'm sure she has a better chance of success of locating them if these nefarious bastards plan on using Sanji against the Germa Empire. Not that he has any power, it's only that, for one, he's worth nothing to us for ransoming purposes, and, for another, the fact that he's still alive troubles me immensely. I had thought that once one took out the trash, it remained where it was thrown. They will no doubt bring attention to the empire that Sanji was alive during this time, which would make some people here sympathetic towards his cause, considering how liked he was with the servants."

"I will talk to her, father," Ichiji assured him.

"Pops, so… _why_?" Yonji asked, still hurt. "I mean…if he's worth nothing, then why even bother putting out so much work just to make sure that he's – ?"

"Because we'd given him a funeral a long time ago, and the dead needs to stay dead. How he managed to survive this long makes me think he was either assisted from someone who knew of him, or…perhaps he was a little more resourceful than I'd originally thought," Jajji said. "You said he survived on the rats? Were you able to retrieve the carcasses? Maybe if you did so, we can see for ourselves what sort of a man he is, now. There is nothing natural living on Germa, anymore, maybe he is mutated, now, unable to serve serious trouble to us. But I worry about his influence over others."

"Uh…no…? Because it was dirty enough down there, I'd rather not," Niji said with a shudder. "There were human carcasses down there, as well."

"We need to keep this between us. Ichiji, feed your wife a story regarding those men, and let your siblings know so that they can keep their stories straight."

"Right, father."

"Yonji, I apologize for the deception. I just felt that you would be too excited knowing that he was this close to you, and you would find ways of throwing rocks at an animal trapped into an enclosure, much like how you did so with the zoo animals," Jajji said firmly to his youngest. "I understand your enthusiasm, but this situation wasn't right for it."

Still a little dejected, Yonji nodded.

Jajji looked at Reiju. "And how did _you_ know of it?"

"I noticed these two sneaking away during certain points of the day, most often when we were over the dungeons," she said, pointing at Ichiji and Niji, both of whom winced.

"Tattletale," Niji whispered.

" _Narc_ ," Ichiji muttered.

"And they would brag about it, as well. Both of them gloating over who made him scream the worse, so, of course, I couldn't help but put two and two together. Of course, what if _they_ were the ones that made him turn to an older man for comfort? _Beasts_ …" she added with a dramatic sniffle, covering her mouth.

" _Stop_ \- !"

"Such _disgusting_ things that come from you!"

"Stop encouraging her!"

Reiju giggled.

"Quiet down, all of you," Jajji muttered, shaking his head a little, amused at their interaction. Despite their adult intentions for the empire, they were still his adored children. "Your imagination gets me wondering where you come up with such things, Reiju, and you're right about your brothers. Most of them had a lack of impulse control back then, and it was smart of you to make them aware of this. I'm afraid you boys need more work when it comes to not reacting on the first thing that comes to your head. Ichiji, you've improved wondrously – "

"Until he sees his wife," Niji muttered.

"Which _version_ of her?" Yonji asked.

" _Beast_ ," Reiju murmured.

"Stop calling me that!" Ichiji hissed, red-faced.

"Niji, you still need to actively talk to yourself in rethinking your rage rants – I heard about the three servants you'd dispatched since I was gone," Jajji said sternly, entwining his fingers together as he leaned forward in his seat. "What makes you so angry, son?"

"I give out specific instructions, and when they're not followed, I get a little testy," Niji said. "How hard is it to follow an instruction? You'd think, by now, these losers would have a better mind to know what I want. How long have I been _alive_?"

"Yonji, thank you for following up with the ping that alerted you to this trouble in the first place. I'm proud of you for taking the initiative into investigating for yourself the situation, and for you to find this first – despite the current circumstances, I'm proud of you for jumping right in and getting as much information as you could to give us something to work with. If we had ignored it, we would've never known he was still alive," Jajji said grimly.

"What about me, father?" Reiju asked.

"You keep being beautiful, my daughter. Keep these boys on their toes. Now, after dinner, I would like to see the dungeon for myself. And prepare yourselves, because we're going to put together the clues to see who it was that was helping him. And destroy the rat problem. After that, Ichiji, your wife should have something by then. And if not, well, I'll be very disappointed."

"Ugh," Niji muttered.

"We're glad you're home, father," Ichiji said, nodding. "It's good that you're here."

"Yes, we've missed you," Reiju added.

"You shouldn't travel too much, pops, you gotta think about things like that," Yonji said.

Jajji nodded, not thinking of anything else to add, then gestured at the doors. They filed out, elbowing and talking amongst each other over who sounded like the bigger ass of the group, and he frowned heavily as he leaned back in his chair, wondering how Sanji had survived all this time in the dungeons. Whoever had helped him would pay for their mistake.

: :

Reiju looked over at the sound of movement, and saw the scuttling of hand servants that followed after Ichiji's wife. At first, Reiju didn't understand why Jajji had allowed this union to occur, considering the woman's vile reputation, but once it became clear to Reiju that this woman had connections to the universe's black market, she realized that this was Jajji's connection to outside scientific sources when he failed to acquire something 'appropriately'. She also stood for 'empathy' factor to give the Germa Empire a boost in that they were 'human', and was "relatable" to those throughout the universe in need of Jajji's opinion. The woman had been valuable from the start, and she was the reason why Ichiji had been gone for so long; with the information she gave him, he was sent out to acquire what was available for the taking. This was how they had been expanding their empire, little by little. Whether she was a traitor or a saint, she had the power Jajji found valuable. As a woman, Jajji firmly felt she could be controlled, and had little respect for her personally, but tolerated her for her connections.

"Aye, Reiju, what's up with everyone?" Bonnie asked, hands on her hips. Reiju couldn't help but sneer at the woman's slovenly appearance. She had issues with her lack of modesty, her gruff attitude and her speech – she wasn't the epitome of grace or maidenly appeal, but there was something about her that made her brothers talk over themselves. Despite Niji's and Yonji's protests, they were the first to oogle her if they saw her.

"Whatever do you mean?" Reiju asked, frowning at her as she looked for a place to sit. Reiju had been enjoying the silence of the family room, where the walls were splashed with wide, panoramic views of far off planet sunsets. She had a book in her lap, and was about to partake in her espresso when the woman showed up.

Bonnie's pink hair was piled atop of her head, slithering in messy sections over her shoulders and back. Her low cut dress showed off an unrestrained form, and her fingers were flashy with jewelry. Her anti-eyebrow ring winked under the faint light of the candles nearby, sparkled under the light Reiju sat under as she entered the soft carpet space Reiju was sitting.

"Couldn't brother buy you anything that provides a purpose?" she asked, frowning down at her bare feet, her toenails glittering with bright pink polish.

"I was takin' a nap, and when I woke up, he was gone. Then _everyone's_ gone. Supposedly, ya'll were in a meeting or somethin' with the big king? Like, nothing's gone wrong in here, right?" Bonnie asked, sweeping her hair from her face. "You aren't preparin' for war, or somethin'?"

"No. None of those. Family business. Has Ichiji spoken to you about a task he'd like you to undergo?"

"No, other than me fulfillin' his _older lady_ request," Bonnie said, coffin shaped nails dragging lightly over her face. "Listen, between me and you – "

" _No_."

"Woman to woman, then! Don't ya feel repressed, here? I mean, your brothers are off doing something amazing, and _you're_ sitting here, drinking tea and playing pretend, and I know you want somethin' more'n that," Bonnie continued, hand on her hip. "Why don't'cha just get a husband and get out of here?"

"As easy as that is for you, it's not for me," Reiju muttered. "I need a suitable man to fit father's taste. What will it bring to us? What can we use it, for?"

"But your daddy doesn't even ask you what you want," Bonnie pointed out, walking around her, admiring the various sunsets that rotated slowly around the room. "So does he care?"

"Of course, he does, you uncouth bedwench."

"So, what he say to you recently? _Good job, boys, you boys keep bein' boys_ , then to you? 'You're beautiful, darlin''? Is that it? I'm sure you get tired of it…"

"As much as I think you're trying to be encouraging, you are not. You're being a nuisance. Please leave me alone."

"Fine, whatever," Bonnie said. "I just get so bored being here, with no one to talk to. Everyone's so dang whipped, it's pitiful! There are no women here, save for the kitchen, and _these_ guys, an' there's only so much that can be said between us! Look, we being sister in laws, why don't we try to get along? If you ever feel you need help, let me tag along. As much as I enjoy being your brother's entertainment, I get antsy, too. I used to be a dang pirate, and being cooped up here is really getting to me. There's only so many places here I can explore!"

Reiju lowered her tea cup. "'Explore'?"

"Yeah. Well, what _ever_. I'm out. You know where to find me if you wanna heart to heart, girl to girl thing," Bonnie said, meandering out from the room, her servants following after her.

Reiju stared after her, blinking slowly. Then smiled.

: :

Nearly six months after they'd come to Earth, Sanji helped Nami put the New Year's decorations up. Zeff and Carne were rearranging the kitchen to accommodate the table that Carne had furnished out of heavy wood, and set it within the front office. After that, Sanji helped him set the chairs and Nami fiddled with the Christmas tree in the corner, presents flowing out from underneath.

"They should be back here within the hour," she announced merrily, adjusting her blinking antlers over her short hair. Her beautifully bright _yukata_ was just as merry as the Christmas lights she had in the tree, hung low from the ceiling. "How's the food coming?"

"The boxes should be ready by the time they come in," Carne said cheerfully. "I've already filled four of them."

"Help him," Zeff told Sanji, who set off towards the kitchen, Nami rushing around them to adjust the Christmas lights throughout the room.

"So, the meaning behind this, is…?" Zeff asked, confused over the holiday settings. While they'd experienced a majority of it themselves, he wasn't sure why a new year was celebrated so brilliantly, with so much importance to it. He was skeptic about Nami's enthusiasm, and the postcards she had laid out at each setting.

"It's a new year, a new start!" she said happily. "We should all give tidings to what we've learned, what we've earned, and the new push in our bank accounts!"

"So this is a financial holiday?"

"Well, for me it is! We've brought in more money this year than we did with the last! I'm hoping to keep the momentum going! But actually, it's a new year to start over, to be grateful for what we have, and what we've earned!"

"And we have to dress like this, _why_?"

"I understand that you're uncomfortable, but it's tradition! Are you not comfortable in the _hakama_?"

"No, it's fine, it's just…"

"He's always felt uncomfortable dressing formally, we all do. We don't really have to do it," Carne explained to Nami. "We're cooks! We're slovenly for a reason!"

"I like mine," Sanji said cheerily. "I think I look pretty dashing."

"You would!"

"Shut up!"

"Is that any way to talk to your elders?"

"Just you!"

"Knock it off, you two!" Zeff snapped at both of them, Nami giving both men a critical eye. Carne was comfortable in his plain, navy blue _yukata_ , but he flashed his underwear too much, making wide actions with his arms and legs, and she didn't feel like pointing out that he was doing so. Sanji was wearing a similar version, but his sleeves were tied back, and his _obi_ was a little flashy for her taste. While moving carefully in his, he seemed to have no problem with preserving his modesty.

"They've been gone too long, this time," Nami complained, pulling her _obi_ tight, adjusting the fit of her fan into the belt as she clacked over the floor in her sandals, reaching for her desk. "But the money was worth it!"

"Was it enough to cover _Merry's_ repairs?"

"Just enough and then some!"

"I'm sure they'll appreciate the break," Zeff said, looking over the decorating of the table, then shooing Carne away so he could finish it himself. Both Sanji and Carne were busy putting the new years' food boxes together – a variety of foods that Nami said was traditional for their culture – and preparing the last of the 'extras' – roast, duck, and homey comfort foods that Nami had insisted upon, knowing her husband's terrible eating habits.

By the time they'd arranged the platters neatly along the center of the table and finished putting down the final settings, Nami was racing away from the computer, giving a light squeal of excitement.

"I suppose it's enough," Zeff muttered, scratching his chin, surveying the table. He looked over at Sanji as he carefully arranged smaller plates next to the boxes, focused on a suitable presentation while Carne set down cups and pitchers of drinks amongst the platters. Speaking in their shared language, he said clearly, "Good job, you two. This is the best we can do under the circumstances."

"Think we made enough?" Sanji asked skeptically, looking over the table, then at the kitchen, where the extras were stored. The question went unanswered as the group of men filed through the doors, and Luffy was hugging Nami tightly, both of them laughing and greeting each other happily, bringing in tracks of muddy snow with them. The others filed in and immediately veered towards the table, shouting out with cheered exclamations, their jackets lightly dusted with snow and boots clomping with mud and salt from the sidewalks.

"Welcome back, dumb dicks," Carne said, taking jackets. "Take off your damn shoes at the door, first, what's wrong with you? You live in a barn?"

"Go wash your hands, first!" Franky demanded, pushing Bepo and Zoro away from the table, and ushering the rest of them towards the public restroom, the men complaining about being treated childishly all the way down the hall.

"Admittedly, it's been too quiet without them here," Zeff said to Sanji, who nodded in agreement.

He looked down at himself, nervously fiddling with his belt, with his robe lapels as Zeff walked off, snatching a broom to sweep up the muddied mess the group had caused as they walked in. Then used it to pat Luffy lightly, reminding him to go wash up while he and Nami hugged and kissed each other cheerfully.

Sanji watched the pair with a fond expression, knowing that Nami had been missing Luffy all this time. Seeing her lightly freckled face light up at seeing Luffy after his absence these past two months was encouraging to see. His own heart was racing in anticipation of seeing the others, and he struggled to rein in the feelings he'd been battling himself.

The past six months seemed to have flown by since settling on Earth, and while he'd learned a lot about the planet and his companions, there were still large parts of himself that he kept hidden away, unsure of how to even address it with anyone. With a steady medical plan Law planned out for him, he'd gained nearly twenty pounds, immune system boosted to fit in after a bout of illnesses that left him struggling to adjust. After that, the others pitched in to 'normalize' him, as Franky put it, and he had changed considerably since his arrival. He was still getting used to life on Earth, and to interacting with others, but he was a fast learner.

And the others were great teachers.

As they all refiled back into the dining room, eager to eat, he kept out of the way, ready to serve. He and Carne quickly poured their drinks and passed out extras if they needed anything. Zeff was in the kitchen, preparing extra platters as the boxed dinners were cleaned out with appreciative words and gestures.

"How was it?" Nami asked, sitting next to Luffy and drinking beer as he cleaned out his box in one go.

"You choke, I'm let you die," Sanji warned him as he watched the man chew awkwardly, pushing his cheeks in to do so.

"We can be better pals, that way," Brook warned Luffy.

"It went fine! I don't see why we were all sent!" Zoro grumbled, more interested in his beer than his food. His tail lazily swiped the air as he leaned over the table with one arm. "The only thing that went wrong was Franky addressing the customer as _ma'am_ rather than sir, and there was some big to-do about it."

"Ivankov tried to keep us," Franky complained, shuddering. "Said we should vacation with the locals there, every once and awhile."

"There was a lot of pawing and begging for us to stay," Bepo added, looking traumatized. His face shifted with dismay. "I couldn't believe some of the things they were saying to us, while trying to touch us! I now know what zoo animals feel like…"

"We were actively separated from each other and there was talk about something called a snu-snu, but I didn't like the sound of that," Zoro said, cringing. "Something about farming our genes to make more of them."

"Oh, good lord!" Nami laughed.

"It's possible it could have worked, but there was no way," Bepo said, hands shaking. "They were so _aggressive_! It was as if they hadn't ever seen men, before."

"They went wild over Zoro," Franky laughed. "All that manliness made them swoon."

"It was almost comparable to be surrounded by sharks!" Brook added merrily. Then looked as if he were wiping sweat from his skull. "Luckily, I wasn't included in this round, considering who we were being paraded before."

"It was flattering at first, then it just grew alarming," Zoro commented, holding up his mug for a refill. Sanji refilled it carefully before moving on to Nami's. "I thought I was being dragged off towards a kitchen, but it wasn't a kitchen."

"They were looking to begin the 'initiation rites'," Law said with a smirk. "He had the right frame of mind going for a minute."

"When they mentioned that they were looking for their babies, I thought they were looking for _actual_ babies. Not to start…new babies," Zoro said carefully. "Then I realized, once I caught their scents, that, _hey_ , these are all guys. _They can't have babies_."

"I can't believe you went for that line!" Bepo laughed. "I could only stare helplessly after you because they had me going in another direction!"

"Zoro was willing to donate to the cause," Franky said with a laugh. "He thought he was actually going to look for babies…what a moron."

"I was trying to help them locate _lost babies_! Little did I know, they were taking donations another way! One that I would not contribute, to!"

"Good thing you didn't. They'd only wind up with moss rot," Sanji commented, refilling Brook's mug with his preferred milk.

Zoro looked over at Sanji with insult as the others laughed. "How dare you. You skinny asshole. When you look like me, you run into problems like this."

"With that face, I understand that one either wants to run you to the hospital, or bury you."

"Kid, I'm going to kick your ass after dinner."

"Why did you send all of us, anyway?" Law asked Nami curiously, picking out all of the fish treats first, separating the bread from the others. "It would've been fine if it were a smaller number."

"The luggage in question required full security, and I fully believe that all of you were needed to provide that security," she answered. "It was actually a shipment of estrogen, which they can't produce on their world, for obvious reasons. Ivankov requested for the best in security detail."

" _Ah_ ," most of them said, looking rather troubled.

Nami laughed again. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I have the best looking lot working those stars! Why not give a few women a little thrill?"

"I wasn't sure what was happening, but it definitely was happening," Luffy said, his mouth full. "Ivankov was very, hm, enthusiastic about letting us do all the muscle work. I thought it was kinda flattering."

"That's because they weren't eying you as a piece of meat, considering the ring on your finger," Franky muttered.

Nami looked smug, leaning over to kiss Luffy's cheek soundly. "That's right, you're taken!"

After dinner, Luffy approached Sanji with a large Mason jar, the lid taped tightly. Sanji took it with a startled noise, seeing that there was a Water Mite trapped inside. But it was larger, with more of a stress ball sized nucleus, and it spun wildly within the jar once Sanji took it.

"Found this guy riding around in _Merry_ ," Luffy said, hands on his hips. "I don't know if it's the same one, because I'm pretty sure you'd dropped it off in Little Garden."

"Maybe it is another?" Sanji asked, wanting to speak the language without having to rely on the translator. He held up the jar with a light grin, noting how much heavier the thing felt, how animated it seemed as it dove over and over itself to look at him from the bottom of the jar. Its tiny paws had grown to thick knobs, knocking against the glass with an excited flurry. "Or not."

"It was hiding in our water supply," Luffy said, looking at the jar with a bewildered expression. "Then it just gave itself up. I put it in this jar and it was fine."

"We're supposed to kill those things," Zoro commented, standing next to him.

"It's not hurting anybody," Sanji said to him, lowering the jar to his side. "Besides if it wants, just dump it in ocean."

"You're talking better," Zoro noticed, reaching over to ruffle his hair, yawning. "Too bad your face isn't catching up."

Sanji scowled at him. While he definitely didn't feel any animosity or dislike from him, Zoro tended to treat him as someone younger and inexperienced than him – and while the last was true, it only made Sanji feel determined to catch up to his level. Plus, it irritated him that he couldn't come back with certain comebacks without the use of the translator.

"I don't think it'll do well with salt water," Luffy said with worry. "It needs fresh water to make it."

"Those Okamas could've done with your snu-snu," Zoro told Sanji. "We should've taken you there and left you."

"What is 'snu-snu'?" Sanji asked with a puzzled expression.

"I don't really know, but it sounds like you have it," Zoro said, looking him up and down.

"'Snu- snu' in their language meant sex," Law said, eating the last of the corn on the cob, standing next to them. "So you're basically saying Sanji's a little sex machine."

Zoro reddened, and Luffy laughed out loud as Sanji bit his lips and tried not to react similarly, a little mortified at the insinuation. Law walked off, chuckling.

"Flattering, I didn't know you thought of me that way," Sanji said with a dramatic fluster before walking off at Zeff's bidding, still holding the jar in both hands.

Luffy looked at Zoro and laughed again. "Wow, buddy, never seen you turn so red. Guess he got you there, huh?"

"I should've asked what it meant before I went and opened my mouth," Zoro grumbled, turning away. "Hey! You! Cat! Come back here! Where did you hear that, from?"

"Ivankov explained what it meant when we'd first disembarked. Of course, none of you were listening because you were all too busy staring at the crowd that had gathered around to look at us."

"Is this why you were hiding after that?"

"I never lied about being an anti-social sort of guy."

With a growl, Zoro frowned at him, tail snapping. Chucking the cob into the full trash can, Law then added with a smirk, "Not secure with your snu-snu skills?"

"Come here, I didn't mean to say that, don't be repeating it to anybody - !" Zoro snarled at him, reaching out to grab him but Law quickly scuttled away, hastily teleporting out of sight as Zoro whirled to lunge after him. When he slammed into Franky, Franky caught him with a surprised stumble, caught off guard with being 'traded' from his original position near the front desk.

"What are you doing? There's no wrestling down here, man. Calm down. Why are you so angry?" Franky asked, steadying him.

"Forget it! Law's just being a jerk."

"Yeah, I know how that works. Calm down. Go grab another beer, let's relax. It's a time to celebrate a new year! A little late, but whatever. All that counts is that we're back, now."

After following Zeff's instruction on cleaning the kitchen, Sanji looked back at the Water Mite. It seemed to tap the glass with one knobby foot, as if acknowledging him, so he headed out the back towards the shop.

Once inside, he turned on the overhead lights and then searched for a bucket. There was a rusty sink inside that the guys used to wash their hands with, so he turned the faucet on and then opened the jar, dumping the creature into the bucket. The Water Mite swirled around and around the bucket a few times, then began to lift upward, creating a molten form that continuously swirled and reformed around itself to maintain its shape. Astonished that it could react that way, Sanji crouched down next to it, wondering if it truly was the Water Mite he'd released that night on Little Garden. _It couldn't be_ , he reasoned, considering that they'd left later after that.

The form waved its knobby hands around, growing with just the amount of water Sanji had given him, the orange nucleus inside shifting to set as the form's 'brain'. It made a small sound, like a whistle, then began to twist in careful circles around the bucket. Sanji really wanted to reach out and touch it, but he remembered what happened the last time he had. He wondered how it had grown – if it were the same creature – and wondered how he could keep it.

The creature pulled itself out of the bucket, slithering over the cement floor, and while it was shapeless, it seemed to form a slight body, with protruding antler-like formations from its head. It also formed almond shaped holes for eyes, followed by a cat-like mouth. Making small whistling noises, it seemed to prance around him, grateful for space. As it did so, Sanji felt the air around him growing hotter, dry heat giving him a gentle warmth from the cold outside of the shop.

Then it dove back into the bucket with tremendous splash of sound, and what startled him was the shop doors opening quickly, Zeff looking at him with curiosity. Then he peered into the bucket, watching the creature swirl around the bucket bottom.

"You need to kill it, it'll eat our water," he said gruffly in Germa. "You can't keep those things."

"I'm going to. I'm pretty sure he's the one I saved from _Merry_ before we left Little Garden," Sanji said, holding onto the bucket with both hands. It felt like a relief just to speak without thinking of the proper words. "And it's alive, it's a living creature. It might eat water, but it still feels things. It just showed itself to me."

"You can't adopt every little thing that crosses your path."

Sanji frowned down at the creature inside. "Why not? He's so cute."

"You can't call a pest 'cute'," Zeff said with a sigh, walking in to look around himself. The shop was full of Franky's tools, some of Bepo's martial arts dummies, bags and pads; on one wall was Brook's musical instruments, and some other odds and ends in boxes with Nami's handwriting on it. "We did very well, tonight. You're catching on fast. Everyone was pretty happy."

"You looked pleased about that," Sanji said, peering up at him. "How do you feel, old man? You look better."

"I _feel_ better, actually," Zeff said, touching his own chest, as if feeling this for himself. "I hadn't realized just how much weight I had been carrying until a few weeks ago, waking up and realizing how easy it was to move. To breathe. I imagine you feel the same."

"I do. Every day has been…amazing."

"I feel that as a person, you've turned into someone I can tolerate."

"Good for me," Sanji said, rising from the bucket with a slight smile.

"Aye, good for you." Zeff studied him for a few seconds, then narrowed his eyes. He crossed his arms stiffly over his chest, stern look on his face. "I came in here for a reason. I noticed you were making googley eyes, again. At the boy from the construction site, as we were returning here with our dinner preparations."

Sanji reddened. A series of thoughts and emotions crossed over him, but he settled on reliable anger, instead. "Why are you _watching_ me? Stop watching me, that's creepy!"

"Someone's got to look out for you, dumbass kid! Look, I didn't want to do it in front of those imbeciles in there, but this is good as place as any to let you know, right now, I know you're at that age where you're going to be looking – "

"I wasn't _looking_ at anybody!" Sanji protested, mortified from the inside out that he'd been caught.

"Listen to me, stop that sniveling! I know what you're doing! You're not going to be thinking with your heart or your head, it's gonna be hormones doing all the pushing," Zeff said firmly, hands on his hips. "That's why I don't let you wander off on your own. You don't think I see him looking right back? Do what you need to do in the bathroom – "

" _Stop_!"

" – but don't be responding to anything he throws out, to you. He tries to talk to you, you walk away, pretend you don't know his language. I'm serious, Sanji. You're stupid in the ways of people, and you haven't been exposed yet to this side of life. We've a lot to catch up on," Zeff said with a sad frown. "I'm aware that you're at an age where you should at least have a general knowledge of what's going on, but you don't, and…we will work on that."

"…this is so _embarrassing_ …"

Zeff reached out and snatched his chin, forcing him to look at him. Sanji was so mortified by Zeff's accusation and warning that he didn't want to look at him until Zeff tightened his fingers. "Is it just men? Or is it women?"

Sanji answered honestly. "Men. But I feel so alienated from them that I don't…when I see one, I don't know if my feelings are…as you say, or if I just…want to be them."

He was too embarrassed to explain his reaction to the catmen at the river, so he didn't say anything about it.

"Hmm," Zeff muttered, nodding. He released him, then wore a slightly embarrassed expression of his own. "I see. Well, I can answer for you, now, when you look at that lad at the construction site, it's not admiration."

"Don't decide for me!"

"Like I wasn't ever your age! I knew what it meant to hide something in front of me very suddenly when it came to a woman I'd liked! I know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Oh, _Jesus_ …!" Sanji cried with mortification, hands to his face. "Don't – that's private!"

Zeff laughed, slapping him lightly on the shoulder with some affection. "Boy, if I can't make fun of you like anybody else would, then you wouldn't grow up, right. As men, we're very obvious about what we want. But we need to be safe about it, is all that I'm saying. Dabbling in that sort of thing right now, it wouldn't be appropriate. All I ask is that you refrain from giving him any encouragement to approach you. Is that clear?"

"…Yes," Sanji muttered with disappointment. He'd grown to look forward to crossing that particular street just to catch a glimpse of the construction worker and his tightly packed muscles, liking the feelings of interest that made him smile shyly when the man looked at him. How it felt to have that smile in return.

"It'll be your turn, one day," Zeff assured him gently. "Just not today. Or any other day while I'm alive."

Frowning at him, Sanji asked, "Is that…a threat? Or a warning, or…?"

"Don't bring that thing inside the place until you know what you're going to do with it, is that clear?"

"Yes."

Sanji watched him walk away, the Water Mite pulling itself up from the bucket to watch Zeff leave as well. Once he was sure the old man was gone, Sanji crouched next to it, muttering, " _Phooey_. I liked looking at that guy."

The Water Mite whistled back, forming its earlier head, twisting in the bucket with a cheerful dance. Sanji reached out to touch it, feeling the cold wafting from it as it twirled around, sloshing water over the edge of the bucket. He heard the sharp clearing of a throat, and he quickly retracted his hand, guilty. The Water Mite crashed back into the bucket, chasing its invisible body around and around as Sanji stood, smoothing his _yukata_ back around himself properly.

Sanji steeled himself for the onslaught of feelings that always hit him when he had a private moment with Law. After those times where he'd reacted on his impulses, Sanji refused to react that way again. He was able to carry conversations with him, with Zoro, and not show what he truly felt. He'd saved that for later, when he could smile privately with the feelings he felt just looking at them, or even in privacy, when he'd finally let masturbation figure out the confusion for him.

Law walked into the shop with a nervous glance around, hands in his pockets before looking down into the bucket with a disinterested expression. He seemed a little jittery, ears facing forward and pointed, amber eyes looking at everything but Sanji. Even after these months apart, he was still an anxiously pacing creature. Sanji often wondered what made him so nervous, but never asked because he felt invasive if he did. Wearing a favored black hooded sweater with a battered black jacket, Law looked more at place here in Tokyo than he did in space. He still had his sword strapped to his back, underneath his jacket, and the wrist-comm that Nami demanded they all wore just in case the Vinsmokes found them.

Just seeing him alone made Sanji's heart perform flip-flops. But he steeled his reaction, and with perfectly schooled features, Sanji said casually in their shared language, "Did you enjoy dinner?"

"Oh, it was…it was great. Very…there was a lot of flavor. You guys did amazing. I think we're spoiled. Couldn't wait to come home to real food, again," Law said with a light frown. He did have his translator in hand, pulling it out from his pocket before putting it back again. "Um, so...how is Zeff? Has he shown any signs of illness?"

Sanji pretended to think about it. He knew the answer to that question, but he needed to pull himself together. After months of not seeing Law, Sanji was definitely overjoyed on the inside. He wanted to do with him that Nami did with Luffy – hug freely, press his nose up against their skin, touch his firm muscles, hear his voice against his ear – anything that required physical action. All night long he'd looked at both Law and Zoro from the corner of his eye – flat out ignoring them if he had to, but otherwise repressing himself from showing anything that could give away the feelings that still blossomed there.

"No, he's fine and fit," he answered slowly, looking for the right words. "Strong."

Law finally looked at him, impressed in the improvement of his communications skills since the last time they spoke. Then he looked away quickly, focused on the thing spinning around and around in the bucket. He cleared his throat again. "In a couple of days, I will start again."

"In fact, he's more spry than ever," Sanji said cautiously, looking at the ceiling as he wondered if that were the right word.

"That's good to hear. And you look a lot healthier than when we left," Law said with approval.

"I followed plan."

"I see that. Good job."

Sanji refused to let the glow shine at the praise. He really liked the way the words were given. He felt it a personal accomplishment, as if he'd really pleased the older catman with his actions, and it always felt nice accomplishing that. But he pulled it in and nodded, instead.

For a few moments, Law stood there awkwardly, chewing on the inside of his cheek. When he looked at Sanji again, the blond just looked at him with a questioning expression, sensing he had other things to say. Flustered, Law said, "Make any, uh…new friends?"

"No. That old bastard won't let me," Sanji said flatly. "He won't let me do _anything_ other than chores, and work, and learning - ! Oh, it snowed, see? It's beautiful, but messy."

"Isn't it?"

"Zeff said it doesn't exist where we'll move," Sanji said with a light sigh. He asked with hesitation, "Do you think, after, that he'll live a long time?"

"I'm sure a few more years, at least. Depends on what I find when I open him up. Just looking at him, I see that his skin isn't so yellow, and his eyes are more focused. He looks as if he'd lost weight, in a healthy sense. Water weight caused by the cancer," Law said, satisfied with the visual examination he'd taken of Zeff doing dinner. It gave him some hope in that he could remove more of than he thought.

Law stood there awkwardly, finding it difficult to bring up anything to the man he helped save. Sanji looked a lot different than from when they left. His face had filled out considerably, his hair was thicker, and his skin still had that glow that made his expressions luminous. While he still resembled the other Vinsmoke siblings, there was a level of gentility to him that set him apart from those guys.

The man stood out from everybody else, period. Law was sure it was just his alien luminosity that made him more noticeable in a crowd, or a small room. Sanji even made the plain _yukata_ and house robe look expensively made, when Nami probably bought it cheap from a friend of a friend.

What made it difficult to concentrate were those blue eyes of his, looking at everything with a sense of old-world weariness; his teasing smile when he chose to pick on Zoro, or anybody else that decided to sass him, and he defended himself rightfully with mocking words and a laugh. He chose a hairstyle that covered one side of his face, but it did nothing to hide the beauty of his cheekbones and sharp jawline, or the delicate way his spine was visible within the 'v' of the back collar of his robe.

No wonder construction workers were doing double takes in his direction. What made it even weirder was the feeling of something unidentifiable in his gut at hearing that some man was looking at Sanji. It made him feel on edge and angry and he was positive it was only because he felt Sanji was much too innocent to be looked at by some pervert – or something. _Something_ like that.

He cleared his throat heavily. Sanji looked at him with concern, certain that Law was coming down with something to be doing so, so often. "So, the food was delicious."

"Did you try the soup? I made it just for you, you fucker, so you better have liked it."

Law couldn't help but chuckle at being addressed so threateningly from someone that looked so regal. "I did. It was…pleasing."

"Just 'pleasing'?"

"Palatable," he teased, Sanji frowning slightly at him before deciding it was only a joke. Then he allowed himself a small smile that he hastily erased, causing Law a moment's stumble in thought.

"Soup snob. Help me carry this upstairs," Sanji then said, pointing at the bucket.

"Excuse me?"

With a deciding nod, Sanji announced, "He will live in my bathtub."

Amused at the declaration and intention of a general pest, Law said, "You are _not_. Everyone will throw a fit if you did that."

"If it's the same Water Mite, then it's fate for it to have return, somehow, back to me."

"It probably followed you and returned to the ship after you did."

"Will you help, you twitchy bastard? He'll be best behavior. If not, I return him to the sea, but I most will fall in and _die_ – "

" _Fine_." All it took was a flick of his fingers, and the bucket was gone. Sanji was just a little annoyed that was all it took. He'd had the secret thrill of seeing the taller man carry it for him. So he made a pouting face and Law caught sight of it with a frown before Sanji schooled his features back into indifference.

"Um, so, I, uh, wanted to talk to you a little more about your family," Law then said, reaching back to pull his tail over one arm. Apprehensively, Sanji tucked his hands underneath his armpits, unsure of where the conversation would go. "Do you remember a little more about being locked into the dungeon?"

For a few moments, Sanji searched his memory. First, all he saw were the guards urging him along, and himself crying. The guards themselves were having a difficult time doing so, wearing upset expressions. But they lead him to the middle cell, and as they unlocked it, he saw that it had been furnished with some things from his bedroom.

" _Maybe time served will teach you to listen_ ," Jajji's voice said. " _You'll stop behaving like your mother, here_."

"Here, put yours on, talk freely in your language," Law then said, holding up his translator, so Sanji pulled his out from his _obi_ to do so. Once they had it fitted on, there was a few seconds delay between one man to another. "The only reason why I'm asking is that I'm trying to understand if your survival meant that your father's modifications actually did work. You were all treated the same, right?"

"Yes, but…it didn't work on me. He said I was 'too much like mother', which could have meant a lot of things," Sanji replied quietly. "I wonder if mother had certain abilities that displeased him, but all I remember was that she was on bed rest after having us. She was…very gentle. And father kept her away in the hospital, far from the castle, and that bastard took mistresses in her place, so it wasn't like he loved her, or anything."

Sanji must have been thinking more into it, or had been influenced by some of Earth's culture to understand the 'many mistresses' part about his father, Law noticed.

"But he never talked about her in front of us," he said, narrowing his eyes. "He only kept us on a rigid training schedule to explore what we were able to do with our bodies. He wanted strong fighters to help lead Germa into victorious battle, and when I continuously failed to improve in any way, he…he blamed my 'mother's side' of me. He thought that I would 'toughen up' if I were alone to think about my actions."

For a few moments, Law didn't know what to say. But he reached between them to place a hand on his arm as empathy. It didn't bother him when Sanji quickly snatched his arm out of his touch, attributing it to learned reaction. "It's not fair that this happened to you. Shit like that shouldn't happen, and I can't imagine being treated that way as a child, and still emerge from it the way you have. I'm pretty sure I'd be…very angry."

"But I _am_ angry," Sanji said slowly. "I just put it aside, for now."

"Well, it's not healthy to 'put it aside' – it's okay to express it."

"Then why are you not mad about being hated by your own people after what you did for them?" Sanji asked him.

Law didn't know how to answer that properly, furrowing his eyebrows and giving a low sigh. He then shrugged. "You got me."

"I'm sure I will be angry, one day. But currently, I haven't found much to be angry, at. Now, all I look forward to is another day to where I can make all of you happy – "

"Sanji. We don't require you to 'make us happy', we're quite capable of doing that on our own," Law interrupted firmly. "It's not up to a person to go out of their way to please us. I can speak for the group of us, and all of us would want you to make your own decisions, make your own way, without thinking you need to please everyone in between!"

"But – "

"I feel that you're thinking we're like them – we're not. None of us can imagine being that sick in the head to think that way, to demand that you please us. All that we ask is that you think for yourself – "

"But more than once, you've all pointed out that the things I've wanted to do is wrong – "

Law thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, moving in various neighborhood animals and pests are a completely different story – "

"And what about that time I thought we should take a boat out over the ocean – "

"There are _sharks_ out there, you madman. Haven't you seen _Jaws_ , yet?"

Sanji laughed, because Law's expression and the way his hair between his ears seemed to ruffle with upset made him feel as if he'd made a joke of some kind. "Well, one day, then. Zeff said his planet is made up of an ocean, so I can wait."

"Maybe there are certain changes to you that I should investigate from the first meeting to – "

"Maybe not," Sanji said uncomfortably, not liking the thought of Law looking at him so closely after what Sanji felt. He felt mortified for all those times before where he'd reacted, when his body was so emaciated that he felt ugly in front of the catman. But now there was a different feeling where he felt if Law looked at him – Sanji wasn't sure how to formulate that horror he felt, imagining the moment.

Law looked at him with surprise, then understood, a little embarrassed for his own enthusiasm at studying the differences in Sanji's body. He scratched at his chin with a finger – he'd cut down his claws some time ago, finding a huge difference in grip when it came to his sword – looking at the lights.

"You're right, I'm sorry. That was pretty creepy of me to ask," he said. "You're not a science project."

Sanji watched him for a few moments, to make sure that his expression didn't change to something different, then looked away. He then felt that happy feeling deep inside of himself warm, where it felt good to know that someone respected his opinion and differences, and didn't shit on him for it.

He smiled to himself before he could catch it, then turned away to school his features back into indifference.

"Oh, um, this was in my mail," Law then said, digging into his pants pocket. He produced a small envelope, with packing bubbles in it. "I'd sent away for it after we'd landed. It's yours."

Sanji took it cautiously, then dumped it over his open hand, where his ring tumbled over his palm before he closed his fingers over it. He looked at it with surprise, then delight. It was a dark blue, with edges of sapphire that sparkled like the night sky – glittery in his hand. He depressed the metal, the star map rose around them, and he looked around himself with a wide smile, examining the systems as they glimmered. The red dot that hovered over one in particular made him touch it, which caused that area to expand and enlarge until it notified that he was on Earth, deep within the Milky Way.

"It looks accurate," Law decided, following the gridlines that separated the universe into four sections.

"Thank you! It's beautiful," Sanji said, looking at the ring again. "How are these colors - ?"

"It just runs off your DNA. Which made me curious in the first place, because what do you have running in those cells of yours? I think there was something done to you that your father missed, because you don't have an ordinary human regenerative system."

Sanji shut down the star map, and closed his fingers over the ring.

"Remember, this isn't used to track you minutely throughout the galaxy. It's not like a locator here on Earth. It only places your location in the universe," Law said. "So if you gave that someone that thinks they can just find you, say, if you went down the street, or whatever, it's not going to work. It just says that you're here on Earth."

"Right. Thank you!"

"Let's go back inside, I'm freezing."

"It's late, too. Um…can I give you your present later? After you wake up?" Sanji asked, holding onto the ring tightly, following him outside the shop.

"You didn't have to get me anything. I'm not planning on staying very long. If Zeff is in good condition, I'll most likely leave here, soon," Law said, making sure the doors were secured before walking back towards the building.

Upset, Sanji hurried after him. "What do you mean? You're going back home?"

"Yes."

"Then…!"

"Oh, and you can give my ring back to me."

"But - ! I don't want to! What if I need to find you?" Sanji protested as they walked back inside.

"You won't. Just give it back to me tomorrow, okay? Have a good night," Law said to him, teleporting rather than taking the stairs, and leaving Sanji to stand there, mouth agape. He looked at his ring, which glittered under the kitchen lights, then closed his fingers over them once more.

Distraught, he headed upstairs to the apartment he shared with Carne and Zeff.


	15. Exploration

**A/N: K. Done for now. Two long chapters down :D**

 **Guest: Law and Zoro are locked into such a bromance it's embarrassing for everyone, haha Ussop's character will be introduced later – and Chopper made his appearance :D**

 **Moony-F: LOL Zoro and his snu-snu…and after this chapter, Law's eyes are wide open, I assure you.**

 **15: Exploration**

Zeff stared down at the creature swimming around in their tub, then made a face. There was a bucket nearby that he remembered seeing Sanji with last night, and shook his head. The creature didn't seem to be in any sort of distress, but it wasn't normal to look into one's tub to see an orange 'brain' of a creature gliding over through the water. He hastily showered over the tile using the portable showerhead, then left the bathroom saying, " _Sanji_! What is this thing doing in the tub?"

He dressed after he didn't hear an answer, then marched over to Sanji's room to slide the door open, growling his name. Once he saw that the futon had been laid out but hadn't been used made him panic for a brief moment. Looking over the small, narrow space, he saw that the nearby dresser had an empty top – after a month of seeing a carefully wrapped present there, he relaxed only because it was gone. He wasn't sure how to feel, knowing that Sanji had a fixation towards the catmen, or a crush. Either one of those things made him feel terribly uncomfortable because he wasn't sure how to address it properly, knowing he'd just fuck it up, somehow.

Since his time here, Sanji had adapted pretty quickly – he didn't hesitate to jump into a chore or task, but Zeff suspected he did things to please them, and it broke his heart, really. He knew Sanji only did these things to keep their positive attention, and Zeff did try to work him out of that. He gave him choices. There were only a couple of days where Sanji was overwhelmed with the concept, and threw a fit, but those were rare – Zeff was grateful for them, though. Because if Sanji could show his true feelings and be taught that it was okay to feel that way, to understand that he _had_ a choice, then Zeff would welcome those fits.

But this matter was delicate for him. Because Sanji hid this aspect of himself pretty well, and Zeff knew it was due to the influence of others. The guys were manly men, who called each other 'fag', who rough housed over a disagreement, and often took their teasing to embarrassingly low levels that for Sanji to actually reveal he _liked_ looking at men would cause them short circuiting. After Law's failed bid to some arranged marriage with a male fox, the guys gave him grief for it, but stopped when he stopped responding to their ribbing. But Law was a different breed compared to Sanji, who was still very new to this type of human interaction, so Zeff fretted about it.

Franky was the 'dad' of the group, who struggled to at least force them to use their manners and conduct themselves as adults. Zeff could trust him to see that Sanji was struggling and interfere with a light word or gesture, and Sanji wouldn't be offended – too much. Sanji had the habit of talking back to him, and Franky couldn't help but reply back, and the original intention was lost as they snapped at each other. But there was a level of safety with Franky that Sanji felt that let him feel free to act this way.

Brook was easy going, and he'd laugh and make insinuations that encouraged Sanji to see things in the same way – the comments made between them about women passing by was enough to have Zeff kicking them both with outrage, so Sanji learned to do it out of earshot, damn him. Brook was also a major influence in music and bad coloring choices, both of them favoring bold, mismatched colors that made the others wince.

Bepo was overly touchy with his martial arts training – a punch of greeting here, a kick of justice there, and he had no qualms throwing anybody if they were in his way or if he were feeling playful. It had taken Sanji some time to adjust to him, to realize that Bepo wasn't doing these things to be aggressive; his personality was so easy going and nonthreatening that he was similar to an animal…he even gushed over dogs and cats that they passed by on the streets, which immediately made him likeable in Sanji's eyes.

Zoro was the worst of the lot, Zeff had decided. His view of being a man was mainly only in physical accomplishments and short thinking. He also did not see Sanji as an equal, but as a child, something that ruffled Zeff's feathers. His attitude gave Sanji something to focus on, to trade barbs until Zoro either tried to grab him or Sanji had to ask someone what a certain word or expression was, and having that person interfere immediately. Zoro was a 'good guy', but definitely not the right one to influence Sanji. It wasn't Zoro's fault that he was this way – he was unintentionally 'stupid', Zeff had decided, and most likely posturing for most of it.

Luffy had warmed up to Sanji considerably since their first meeting – he had watched Sanji adapt and struggle, and often ended up in the middle of it with his own assistance. Since his time here on Earth, Sanji had lost that chemical smell that Luffy had first complained about, and the dogman seemed to accept him a little more because of it. His views on the world were shared with Sanji – how to sneak into movies without paying, where to find the restaurants, how to get Nami to slip them money for things other than what she intended them for in the first place. Sometimes they'd watch anime marathons for hours until someone with a more responsible head shooed them out of the building for something to do outside. He was also very touchy, which Zeff was grateful for – whether it was his personality or his dog characteristic, Luffy wouldn't hold back on his physical affections, and his constant hugging, brushing and nudging on Sanji gave the blond some needed affection that he slowly started to return – but only with him.

Law was a tricky one for Zeff – he was pretty quiet compared to the others, and while Zeff was fully aware of his background, he did not carry himself as royalty would. His and Zoro's constant snapping and fighting had him wondering, at first, if they were lovers, but as time passed, it was only the nature of their relationship that made them as they were. While he definitely knew what he was doing when it came to injury or Zeff's cancer, Law was clueless with some aspects of human relationships. Manly men he could handle, but when it came to Sanji, Law seemed to fumble a lot.

Which made Zeff wary, because Sanji was extra frosty with him. He'd learned that if a person made every possible effort to ignore another while also trying to stay in their line of vision, there was something more to the situation. He thought Sanji had developed a confusing complex where he was mixing up his gratefulness for Law's attention for something else, but Law seemed to be making it worse with his attention on the blond, treating him differently than the other guys with decent conversation and proper manners, and Zeff didn't like it.

The first time he suspected it was a few months back, when he started trusting Sanji in the kitchen by himself. Dinner was loud and noisy, but he heard it himself.

"Your fucking soup took hours to make," Sanji had said at one time, dumping a ladleful into Law's favorite bowl. "So don't waste."

"Looks good," Law had said, and managed to eat only _that_ the entire meal.

Sanji did manage a judgmental frown after, saying, "You didn't eat the fish."

"Your soup took hours to make."

"Why you so dumb? You eat _only_ this, you hungry later."

"Then save it for later, please."

Zeff had then caught Sanji in the kitchen a couple of hours later, reheating the soup.

"The microwave works fine," he pointed out.

"So does the stove."

"Eat a sandwich if you're hungry!"

"I want soup!"

"You need more than that on those bones of yours!"

"Sorry, I came in here for that, too," Law had interrupted, making his way to the cupboard for a bowl, but Sanji already had one made. "Oh. _Cool_. Thanks."

When he left awkwardly, Zeff had frowned at Sanji, who then began putting things away. "Aren't you going to have any?"

"I already ate."

So Zeff was very unsure of how to approach this particular topic; it was only that he didn't know how to handle it, himself. Seeing that the Christmas present was gone only showed that Sanji was going out of his way for the catman, again. He figured he would need to talk to Law directly about it, come up with something together to make sure that Sanji didn't think their situation was inappropriate, or mistaken.

Zeff had a hard time with that, because now that he knew Sanji had eyes for men, he wasn't sure if he actually had a crush on the catman, or if he had a complex – he wasn't sure how to approach that topic.

So he headed downstairs to start breakfast, and as he was frying bacon and rolling eggs into fluffy omelets, Franky joined him, yawning heavily.

"I have a situation," he said slowly, handing Franky his morning gallon of cola. Zeff had already brewed coffee and had set the table, grumbling about Carne's whereabouts. "And I need your discretion on a very delicate situation."

"Yeah, sure, hit me. None of the boys causing you problems, right? I know how they can get," Franky said, sitting at the table. He was dressed in a loud shirt with his blue hair pulled back into a sloppy bun, still looking uncomfortably massive at the table that made a permanent place in the kitchen. "They might not even be aware of it."

"It's…it's with mine."

"What's up with Sanji? He looks like he's doing very well!" Franky said happily. "He's taken on the language with _super_ amazing skill – I couldn't speak it for nearly a year without my translator!"

"Yes, he's a good kid. Listen. I'm not sure how to start, but…I suspect Sanji has his eyes on someone, and I need a good way of letting him know that, perhaps, it's fine if he's this way, but…he might be mistaking his feelings for something…else."

Franky stopped drinking to look over at him with curiosity. "Oh? I haven't noticed him giving any one special attention. Are you sure?"

"I know him. And it's…sad to say, but he hides it because of the way those idiots talk. He must feel that he's doing something wrong to feel a certain way, so he's…very private about it. But I've caught him in the act a few times – "

"Oh, man, Zeff, I'm so sorry – that must've been very mortifying for both of you," Franky said with sympathy, causing Zeff to think for a few moments.

"No, no. Not…not _that_! Uh, he…he has eyes for men."

Franky's eyes widened significantly until he sputtered. "Oh! _Oooh_. Oh. _Well_. Shit. Not that it's a bad thing, but we're…we're not very subtle dudes, we've said some pretty crazy stuff, and…I can see why he wouldn't say anything about it. And it's fine! None of us are against it, we just…after that thing with Law, we just sort of accepted that it's…there's a possibility that _he_ might hook up with a dude, but…never had I imagined Sanji – the way he talks with Brook, I just thought …!"

"Yes, well…he fits into a situation pretty quickly, and I'm working on that," Zeff said gruffly, slicing quickly through some potatoes. "I feel he should be more open to making his own choices based on his own will, but he tends to follow the crowd just to please us. If you feel that he's doing so, please interfere. His head is stuck on winning approval from us, so…"

"Oh, I get that! Huh. Well, I'll tell the boys to tone it down, a little. But he's already got his eyes set on someone, huh?"

"I feel that he might be mistaking his appreciation towards Law for some sort of a complex."

"Suspension Bridge Effect?"

"Quite possibly. I'm unsure of how to sort it out with him, without embarrassing the hell out of him."

"Then you should talk to Law, too, just to make sure he isn't giving out the wrong ideas," Franky said with a concerned tone. "Because _he_ probably doesn't even realize that he's contributing. They've got some similarities in their personalities and their personal lives that I think allows them to talk freely, but…once he's aware of it, I'm sure he'll react appropriately."

"How should I approach it? I don't have kids of my own, I never thought I'd find myself in this situation. I feel that he'll react negatively to me once he is aware of the issue, or that I know of it."

"Ha ha! Just like a real kid would! Who doesn't want to be lectured by their parents on stuff like this? Just talk to him gently about it. I mean, if you already talked to him about knowing what he's up to, then _this_ should be a little easier."

"What will?" Bepo asked, sitting at the table in his pajamas, white hair mussed.

"Sanji likes the guys, bro."

"Oh, _snap_."

"This was a private conversation that should have stayed between _us_!" Zeff snapped at Franky.

"It's _fine_ ," Bepo said, waving a hand at him, yawning noisily. "I think if we knew about it, we wouldn't talk so much shit about the subject, but we can take it easy. Not like it's a problem, or anything."

"What isn't?" Brook asked, stumbling in, wearing a bright bohemian print poncho over ripped, wide legged jeans over clogs.

"Sanji liking men."

"When did this happen?" Brook asked, bewildered. He looked and sounded crestfallen. " _Now_ who will watch the gals with me?"

"This was a private conversation!" Zeff snapped at all of them.

"Not now," Zoro grumbled, barely awake. He hadn't changed out of his clothes at all, and Bepo waved a hand in front of his face to indicate the smell. "Now everyone knows everything. So, what's up?"

"Sanji wants a boyfriend," Brook told him solemnly.

" _Goddamn_ it, you know that's not going to happen," Zoro snapped, sitting at the table. "There are perverts all over this town! Now, let me back up by saying – that's a surprise because of the way he talks with Brook, but he's just a kid, he doesn't know what a dick is for, and these guys do."

" _Zoro_ ," Franky admonished, looking over at him with a frown.

"And guys are the worst!" Bepo cried. "Look how _we_ are! Can you imagine what those guys might be thinking if he actually ventures into that pool? He is definitely shark bait!"

"Guys, c'mon, I'm sure it's not that bad – "

"This was supposed to be a _private_ conversation with certain discretion, and not a fucking group meeting!" Zeff barked at all of them, red faced.

"Now that we know, this is not going to fly," Brook warned him. "I'm a little concerned about this. He's so…he still reminds me so much of a child, I feel he's not ready to involve himself with another human being who might take advantage of him."

"I'm telling you, once you take off, you're going to have problems, so you need to teach that kid how to defend himself and recognize a predator," Zoro said, looking at Zeff with a stern frown. "Because they're _all_ predators out there."

"Zoro, _no_ they're not!" Franky said with exasperation. "I'm sure there are some really cool dudes out there – "

"Oh yeah? Have we met them yet? Maybe they can work with us," Luffy said, him and Nami wandering into the kitchen with sleepy expressions. "I smelled that bacon from way up there! Are we having stew?"

"What are you guys talking about, getting so riled this early in the morning?" Nami asked with a yawn, taking the coffee that Zeff held out for her, and then taking a seat next to Luffy near the head of the table.

"Sanji, thinking he can have a boyfriend," Zoro said with exasperation.

"Why not?" Luffy asked with concern.

"You guys, how _stupid_ ," Nami said with a huge sigh, not awake for this.

"Luffy, look at him."

"Well, I would if he were here. Where is he? Sleeping in?"

"Can you honestly tell me he would know how to distinguish a predator from a cool dude?"

Luffy thought about it, then frowned. "You're right."

"What makes a 'cool dude', anyway?" Zoro asked. "And you know what, if that guy is serious with thinking he can get away with bringing random dudes around us, when all of us know what that random dude's intentions _are_ – well, I'm not going to be the first one to say 'I told you so', even though I always do."

"Zoro's got a point," Luffy said seriously. He looked over at the older man in the kitchen, who looked completely exasperated. "Zeff? Is he bringing guys around? Is that what this is about?"

" _No_. Damn. This has gotten out of control."

"We were actually just discussing how to bring it up to Sanji, that it's okay for him to like dudes," Franky said. "Because of the way we talk, he feels he's not…okay with it. He's having trouble accepting it."

"If we'd known a lot earlier, we wouldn't be so bad," Bepo said, hands to his mouth with concern. "I'm sure he feels like shit because of us."

"We should let him know that it's okay," Brook said.

"We should NOT! First off, you losers listen to me," Nami said, speaking out loudly to be heard. "Not a word until Zeff can talk to him privately. If you all come at him with your fucked up opinions, he's going to think even worse about himself. And you know what? I've spent the most time with Sanji. That boy is sneaky – and he's learned to be sneaky because you losers make him _feel_ as if he should be sneaky."

"He _would_ do that, just to piss me off," Zoro said with a scowl.

"What do you mean?" Zeff asked with alarm.

Nami ignored Zeff's startled question. "So if you come up and tell him that it's okay, but there are restrictions to whomever he decides he's going to bring home, you'll never know what he's up to, and you'll regret it later on. Trust me. I went through the very same thing with my mom, and I'm the sneakiest bitch you all know."

They all looked at her with careful consideration, Luffy's eyes narrowing slightly. Now that they were thinking quietly on the topic, Zeff finished whipping up breakfast, and grumbled as he began serving them. Carne joined them, hurriedly pulling on his apron, so he received a wooden leg to the back of his head as he hastily began preparing a side dish.

"Why are you late?" Zeff barked at him.

"My alarm didn't go off!"

"You're in the room right next to mine, you can hear mine just fine!"

"What should we do?" Brook asked.

"Well, where is he?" Zoro asked. "Where's that cat?"

"Oh, they're talking in the library," Nami said. "Sanji seemed upset."

"What is in our bathroom?" Carne asked Zeff. "There is something moving in the tub, and I refused to get in there."

"One of his pets he thinks he's going to keep. Don't touch it."

"Then what are we going to do about him bringing guys around?" Bepo asked with concern.

"IGNORE IT!" Nami bellowed, causing all of them to jump. "Ignore it, don't bring any attention to it, but definitely keep an eye on it. Watch what you say, encourage him to talk about it. Don't talk about it, but encourage him to be accepting of it."

"So….? We _don't_ talk about it, we _pretend_ that he's not checking out guys, and talk to him about it, but don't say that _we_ know about it," Zoro clarified, the others looking confused.

"Yes."

"Gotcha."

"Zoro. You and I will need to talk about it a little more," Franky said. "You're going to fuck this up."

"No I'm not!"

"What is all the yelling about?" Law asked, walking into the kitchen, Sanji right behind him. Both of them look as if they hadn't slept a wink at all, but Law looked frazzled. His hair seemed even wilder than before. Everyone went silent and looked at their food, causing their expressions to change. "Now, what?"

"We were talking about you," Zoro mumbled.

"Isn't that new?"

"Get them drinks," Zeff told Sanji, who nodded and yawned as he did so. He was completely unaware of the guys' looks in his direction as he pulled out various containers from the fridge.

"Something new, I hope," Law muttered, not used to this strange tension.

Franky cleared his throat noisily. "What's the plans for today, boys?"

"Maintenance and repair of Sunny," Bepo said.

"Naps."

"I need to catch the end of _Durarara_!"

"I want to go shopping!"

"I'm going to hit the shrine later, today. Anyone want to come with?"

"I'll go."

"I need to mail out my postcards."

"You should go with Brook to the shrine, Sanji," Nami suggested.

"NO!" came several shouts, Law jerking in his seat, causing Zoro to sputter with a laugh.

Confused, Sanji looked at them, unsure of how to take their sudden horror as they then resumed eating, studiously avoiding eye contact. Nami looked thoroughly disgusted and Franky looked embarrassed, while Zeff turned purple.

"We need more eggs," Carne said sheepishly.

"I'll go get them," Sanji offered, lighting up at the thought of the construction site on the way to the store.

"NO!" Zeff snapped, then cleared his throat. "Finish what Carne's doing, then Carne can go do it because he just now noticed it."

Sanji scowled at him, but went to do as he said, Carne looking ashamed as he removed his apron and hurried off.

"Why is everyone acting so oddly?" Law asked Bepo, picking through his food and separating them into piles first.

"We'll talk about it later," Bepo said hastily.

: :

That afternoon, Law found himself looking through his entire room for the fox's ring. He was pretty sure he'd left it on top of his dresser, but he could've mistaken that for a bookshelf, and so he was pulling everything out of the shelves and looking underneath everything to find it. Corazon had yet to contact him over Doflamingo's decision, and while it wasn't uncommon to go this long without any communication, he just assumed it was a 'go' to extend his stay. While he knew nothing could change the fox's mind, he still felt giving it over to Corazon wasn't the right thing to do.

After cleaning up his shelves, he sat back and frowned at the window to his left. Tokyo was grey and murky, today – there were clouds hanging around, and, being under the shadow of the city lifted above, it was even colder. He was also running through some confusion, surprise and guilt of his own after this morning's situation with Sanji. He'd never expected the things that happened, but they had.

So to find everyone strangely tense and silent when they came down made him feel even worse. He retreated away from the situation just to hide and regroup. He reached over and grabbed the book from near his futon, pulling it to his lap. It wasn't like the others on his shelves, which was delightful in its uniqueness. It was a beautifully rendered tale of a group of ninjas set on saving their village from an emperor's money hungry intentions; all in water color, with ink etching, and he couldn't help but be impressed with it. Both with the fact that the art appealed to him, and the content of the story – he thought he'd hid his interest in ninjas rather well. But Sanji had given it to him, and Law could safely say it was one of the best gifts he'd ever received.

Which made him flounder because he felt the gift was too intimate. The others had given him gag shirts, a case of his favorite drink, gift cards, but this was…there were no words to express it. It just appealed to his heart.

Which made _everything_ uncomfortable for him.

He jumped – really, Zoro was right about his jumpiness – when someone knocked at his front door. "It's open!"

Then rose with a nervous twitch of his ears, tail swishing as he watched who would enter through the partition separating his bathroom and laundry rooms from the main room. When Zeff walked in with a serious frown, Law felt he was going to have a heart attack.

"I'd thought you'd gone out with the others, so this is good," Zeff said gruffly, looking for a place to sit. He looked around himself, having never visited Law's apartment before today. "You really weren't planning on staying long, weren't you?"

"Er…no. Um…what's…what's up?"

"A little nervous, aren't you?" Zeff asked, frowning at him as he sat gingerly. "Listen, if you're not doing anything, I'd like to have a little heart to heart with you."

Law felt his mouth dry, and his heart race even worse than before. But since Zeff wasn't trying to kill him, or anything, he nodded, reaching over to pull his tail around him, trying hard to relax.

"Look, it's about Sanji," Zeff began, and Law felt his heart stop. Then did a stutter as he managed a nod. "I'm aware that he has…an 'attachment' to you. I feel that he might have the wrong idea, and I'd like to bring it up to you as a way to settle the situation in a safe way that would not offend or discourage him from any future affections to others."

Law looked at him with a bewildered expression. Then cleared his throat. "Uh, we…we've already discussed the issue."

"Oh, then you were already aware of it?" Zeff asked, looking a little relieved.

Nodding slowly, Law found that it was difficult to speak when the man was looking at him with such a comforted expression.

"He took to it okay?"

"Uh…he's…in the end, it is up to him to decide what he wants or feels," Law said slowly, looking at his tail. "If he wants to feel one way, then it's pointless of us to try and convince him that it's the right or wrong way. I feel that it is safer for him to learn by his own hand than…by someone telling him how to do it, or how he should feel doing it."

Zeff frowned, obviously not liking that idea. But he agreed to it with a light nod. "I would just ask that you not encourage him by enforcing your boundaries, because I feel he will be devastated once you leave."

"I know," Law muttered, feeling his cheeks redden a little.

Zeff understood that the topic seemed a little invasive to the catman, so he didn't think too much of the man's embarrassed reactions. But he did feel comforted with not having to explain the entirety of his concerns, and felt that Law had his side under control. He lifted up from the floor and nodded. "Well, thanks. Anything that he does, please feel free to come to me to discuss. It's important that I intercept these things so that he emerges from this thing as a fine human being."

Those things made Law feel a little worse. It made him think about what happened with such clarity that he winced, feeling utterly conflicted with himself.

It hadn't been a few hours when they'd all retired to bed when he'd heard the soft knock on his door. He had been awake, thinking about the conversation he'd overheard in the shop, and various things pertaining to the Okamas they'd visited, so he wasn't quite ready to sleep. Hearing that knock was almost a blessing, a nice distraction from the sleeplessness into dawn. He went and answered it, surprised that it had been Sanji there, looking nervous.

"I couldn't sleep," he'd said quietly. He'd held up the present. "Please take this."

So Law had invited him in, and he'd offered Sanji a drink but the blond refused and went to sit in his living space, noting that he'd had his futon out. When Law returned, Sanji watched him open the gift anxiously. The book was examined, and Sanji had said quickly, "I heard you talk with others on ninjas."

Law remembered they had been discussing the Power Rangers, and all of them had expressed their humor in the martial arts there. It had been a silly discussion, but this book was quite the opposite of it. He was practically grinning as he flipped through the pages, admiring the art, and the concept, similar to ' _The Seven Samurai_ '. "This is amazing. Thank you."

"I don't want you to go home," Sanji said quietly.

Shutting the book, Law gave him a cautious look. "It's something that can't be helped."

"I don't want to give ring back, either. I feel I should find you if I need you. What if Zeff fell ill, again?"

"Sanji. He and I understand that this remedy might not cure his cancer. I won't know until I work on him whether or not it is actually working. He understands that he will eventually expire because of it."

"Then, after? I should be able to find you."

Law did not wanted to discuss this with Sanji at all. He was surprised Zoro hadn't mentioned it to anybody, which didn't leave him feeling any comfort at all. But he drew his bottom lip under his canines with consideration before saying, "You will not be able to find me. That is why I insist that you don't contact me. This move, it will be permanent."

"Then, don't go. _Why_? Why go? What's important?"

"Family. My family – "

"Not important if you don't talk to them," Sanji said firmly. "Never see you talk."

"Doesn't mean that I haven't. Besides, there will be others for you to meet, more worlds for you to explore," Law said gently. "I'm just…one of many."

Sanji shaken his head slightly. "No."

Law studied his stubborn expression for a few moments. Sanji's eyes were rimmed with tonight's sleeplessness, and there was a firm set to his mouth that made Law think that this man's mind was made up. It made him feel odd inside, a little unsure, because he knew he wouldn't be able to address the obvious reason why Sanji didn't want him to go.

But he had to try.

"Sanji. Death comes to us all. Unfortunately, to some, it comes sooner than most," he said slowly, thinking of his situation with intense remorse. Why didn't he feel anger in it? unfairness that one should, giving their life to another without it feeling like it was only another chore to complete? "Zeff was prepared to die before he learned you were alive, and he knew he had a limited time with you after. Don't make it harder for him than it is."

Stubbornly, Sanji stared at his knees, sitting properly across from him in such a stiff position that Law's knees hurt at the sight of it.

"That's…that's, also, what I think, but not what I mean," Sanji said slowly, fingers balling into fists. "I…I …I still like you. A lot."

He was surprised hearing that, considering how Sanji seemed to ignore him, sometimes. His demeanor came off as harsh and rude, but Law had assumed that he'd gotten over this little crush of his.

With an awkward press of his lips, Law thought about his answer before saying, "I…uh, think…it's okay to feel that way, but…I…I can't return your feelings."

 _"Why?"_

"Because it would be…" Law had furrowed his eyebrows, trying to put it delicately. He couldn't quite be harsh because he didn't want Sanji to feel that he was wrong to feel these things about another man, but he didn't want to encourage him, or give him space to think that anything could happen when Law had already decided he was returning home. It really was a delicate situation.

"Because I'm not worth it?" Sanji asked, frowning. "Because I'm not animal? Not a woman? Or, fox?"

"No. No, no, no, no, it's just…it wouldn't be fair. When I leave, I would have to leave you behind, so…I can't feel anything for anybody. Especially in that I will not be coming back."

"Why leave?"

"Because I have an obligation to fulfill."

Sanji licked his lips, upset about that one. "Is it important?"

"Very."

"Then…come back after."

"I can't."

" _Why not_?"

"Look, Sanji, please. My mind is made up. There is nothing anybody here can say to convince me to do so."

'Are we not important? Am _I_ not?"

"I just can't, okay? You understand, family has certain obligations to fulfill, it's like…it's something that can't be ignored or slighted because…it was decided some time ago, and – "

"Then, take me with you."

"I can't do that."

"I can help you. Zeff, he will die, and – just take us with you!"

 _"No,_ Sanji," Law said gently.

The blond had sat in silence for some time, a stubborn set to his jaw that told Law he was not done with this subject. Law wasn't sure what to say to him about it, and fiddled with the ragged hem of his sweats. After awhile, Sanji exhaled softly. Then he rose up without saying anything and left his apartment, shutting the door behind him quietly.

Law looked back out the window, pulling his tail onto his lap and pulling at the ends of it. Noting that the small, hairless patches on his tail were lighter in some areas, tender to the touch. He thought about what just transpired, and felt just a faint trace of frustration in it. Lately, he had felt disappointed with knowing he was, literally, giving his life away to someone else without feeling like he'd truly lived.

It had seemed that after he was cured, he was groomed to work and provide, and had his life planned out to exert the best of his efforts to satisfy another. And he had been fine with it, because that was the life offered on that planet – but after being away from it, chased and disliked by people that had once called him a 'friend', he was starting to realize that he hadn't lived at all.

Being here had been a day to day adventure – of traveling throughout the entire universe, seeing new planets, meeting people, encountering strange moments that he couldn't even imagine…and then coming back to Earth and finding it easier to call it 'home', with people that accepted him no matter what, and being looked upon by big blue eyes that reminded him of the various oceans he'd seen during his travels…

He felt his face shift into a grimace at that point, pulling his knees close enough to rest his elbows on them, palms on his forehead. He leaned back against the wall – on the other side was an empty apartment, the other was Bepo's. He wondered if he were only experiencing a fixation on Sanji because he was unlike a case he'd encountered, before, having never come across such a situation as his.

But he acknowledged feeling ugly at the thought of Sanji looking at another man, of having his attention returned. And it burned to know that someone would put their hands on him so intimately, and Law was pretty sure he only felt this strange anger because of the person Sanji was to him – to _all_ of them.

He felt movement on the mat, and opened his sleep heavy eyes to seeing Sanji crouch down in front of him, giving him a pensive look. Law was startled because he hadn't even heard the man come back in – or did he even leave in the first place? With the way Sanji was looking at him, with uncertainty and nervousness, Law understood that Sanji was either going to ask or do something, only struggling for the courage to do so. In the early morning light coming through the blinds, Law could see him reaching for that nerve, and it made him feel a little wretched, thinking that Sanji was struggling just to ask for something – anything, really – and Law figured it would be easier just to give in anticipation of whatever it was he wanted, so he reached out and touched his shoulder. Sanji stiffened at that moment, looking at the connection, then shifted on his knees towards him, between his knees. There was a stronger tension, now, that Law didn't understand at first, thinking Sanji was only asking for contact of some kind, so he pulled him close, thinking he wanted a hug. But once Sanji's hands were planted on the outside of his hips, Law realized that Sanji was looking at him much too intensely, and his face was much too close. He could smell the pleasant scent of him – soap, deodorant, his shampoo – and the tinge of his breath.

He felt his breath stop at that moment, feeling his cheeks warm at the general closeness of Sanji. Sanji's hair was in his face, his visible eye so blue and focused on him, that, before he knew it, Law was brushing strands from out of his face, and tucking it behind his ear. He could taste Sanji's breath over his own lips, and he didn't understand why he wasn't putting a stop to this. Sanji was watching him, and Law could hear his heart beating fast, but he wasn't sure exactly _whose_ was, as he thought of it. Once he realized he was still touching his face, he intended on dropping his hand – but it only moved over the rigid line of Sanji's jawline, stroking his soft skin before moving over his neck. He was going to _push_ him away to get some space, but he didn't do that, either. His fingers slid through his hair instead, clutching tightly.

Sanji sat between his knees, eyes lowering to Law's mouth, and it was an odd feeling in the middle of his throat to see actual _want_ in the other man's face because it wasn't something that Law had thought he'd see from another person. But he ended up cupping Sanji's face between both of his hands, _to push him away_ and put a stop to this, but instead his thumbs moved over Sanji's cheeks…stroked over his pink lips. He could hear the hitch in Sanji's breath, see the way his pupils widened as he once again looked into Law's eyes, and Law could feel his chest tighten and flutter because he was leaning into Sanji. He could taste Sanji's breath as he breathed out, and their noses bumped. Sanji leaned his shoulder in to steady himself – his body slight against Law's.

" _Stay_ ," Sanji whispered, just enough to be heard. "Stay."

Sanji then turned his face to press up against him, his forehead against his cheek, and this time, Law could feel his heart slamming up against him, and could feel the nervousness and tension in his entire form.

"Stay with me."

He released his head and wrapped his arms around Sanji, feeling the other man respond to him with his arms wrapping around his waist, laying his weight up against him. And at that moment, Law was grateful he didn't respond to his own want to kiss him because Sanji probably wasn't even intending on doing that, anyway. From the way he settled against him, Sanji probably only wanted a hug, or – or _this_.

His heart was slamming hard against his chest and he was utterly confused as to why he'd interpreted – or even _thought_ Sanji was aiming for such a thing – he felt he was taking advantage of him, of his vulnerability. For some minutes, the pair of them just sat there, holding each other, and Law was fighting himself for a reason to push Sanji away, but every reason was met with a bunch of excuses why he shouldn't.

He felt Sanji's fingers curl into the material of his shirt, bunching the fabric within his fists. He felt his breath against his collarbone, felt his eyelashes fluttering against his throat. He could smell the man – it was a strong scent, and it made Law feel hot inside. It appealed to his animal senses, his skin tingling with the need for more sensory satisfaction. He could sense that Sanji wanted _more_ , but there was also confliction in it, because he didn't know what he wanted more of. Law recognized the feeling that came over him at that moment, the shift in his own personality that grew uncomfortably warm and alarming – he'd experienced it only a few times before, and he felt rotten that it was taking him over right now with this person. He blinked several times, trying to clear away the heaviness he felt there, and felt Sanji shift in his arms.

He was once again looking at him, eyes locked on his before dropping to his mouth again. He was flushed and beautiful, exuding all his feelings at this moment, and Law could feel all of them. It was hard not to. Sanji moved in so close that their lips touched, but didn't press, and he was once again whispering, " _Stay_."

Something made Law tighten his arms around him. His heart started to race again. All he could think of at that moment was keeping this man to himself. He fought these feelings as he felt Sanji stiffen up against him, but at the same time, his muscles began to tense and flex, and his fingers started to tighten. Sanji started to move back once he saw something in his face, but Law was horrified to hear himself growl in warning, so Sanji stopped in mid-motion, looking fairly alarmed. Law could feel his tail swishing at his side, snapping at the floor, and he struggled to get a grip on himself. But at that moment, his nose was filled with this strong scent and he felt so tense to react that anything suddenly became a threat. He struggled to calm his racing heart, and take even breaths. He blinked repeatedly to chase away the sensation of dryness there. Eventually, he didn't feel so tense, and he shoved himself away from Sanji quickly, climbing to his feet and putting distance between them.

He was so damn flustered from this reaction that he left his apartment without looking back to see what was on Sanji's face. Palm to his forehead, he went right for the library Nami kept on the other end of the third floor. Once there he paced restlessly, utterly horrified and alarmed that he'd reacted so intensely to Sanji. He felt like a damn predator claiming defenseless prey, and he couldn't believe how strongly his own body had betrayed him. His hands balled into fists, and he paced the length of the library, trying to even out his breaths.

He had the bewildering thought that Zoro had willingly put himself into situations like this with humans – had let his instincts take over and dictate how he was going to satisfy himself, and Law could barely handle his own instinct back home. He felt ashamed and mortified, wiping sweat from his forehead and then reaching behind his head to grip handfuls of his hair. He continued pacing, trying to erase the energy that had built up as a result of this confrontation.

When he whirled around to march back up the length of the room, he saw Sanji standing there, watching him with a frown.

"Get out of here," Law snapped at him, unable to help sound harsh when he felt his shoulders tense again.

"No. This is…animal side?" he asked curiously, sounding more fascinated than alarmed as he shut the door behind him. Then ventured in towards him. At that point, Law wasn't sure who the predator was between them. The way Sanji was looking at him, he seemed to understand what was happening, and seemed to be delighted in it. It was in the wide of his eyes, the way he bit his lip with a relishing sort of smile.

Law paced in mid-step and bent at the knees, palms over them as he held his breath. Sanji stopped a few feet away, then crouched in front of him, as if he were observing a trapped animal's actions, and Law wanted to demand who the hell was this person living with them, because he wasn't the one that they'd rescued.

Sanji then straightened and walked around him, to look at a bookshelf full of manga and an assortment of comic books, touching each shelf before wandering to another. Law only watched him incredulously, breathing out shakily, feeling more in control of himself than before. He straightened up and placed his hands on his hips, tail twitching slightly as his ears flicked. He turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed with concentration as the sun began to lift, pushing through the low hanging clouds that had bedded down on the remaining buildings of the island. Once Sanji noticed the world brightening outside, he ventured over to the window to watch the sun rise.

Law crossed his arms over his chest, watching him.

"What does the sun look like where you're from?" Sanji asked faintly.

"There are two of them."

"That must be twice as beautiful, then." Sanji looked at him then, saying low, " _Stay_."

"No."

"Then take me with you."

" _No_."

"Good morning, you two," Nami said from the doorway, looking sleepy. "I thought I heard someone walking around up here."

Sanji said nothing in response, looking back out the window, while Law just looked nervous, wondering if she heard anything.

"Smells like breakfast is ready. Zeff's going to be pissed you missed helping him," Nami said lightly to Sanji, making him cringe as he realized that with the sun rising, Zeff had already started breakfast. "Come down, you two."

"We'll be there," Law assured her.

once she left, he looked back towards Sanji. He looked back at him.

Neither of them said anything, but Sanji left the window. He walked over to him, and this time, Law knew he had more of himself in control to react as he did, and he didn't want this human thinking he could intimidate him in some way, so he stood his ground. Sanji's eyes dropped briefly to his tail, then moved back up to him. Without a shift in expression, he pressed his face into his chest. Other than that connecting point, Sanji didn't touch him. Law intended on moving away, but he couldn't seem to tell his feet to obey.

"I have until Zeff's better, then, right? Before you decide to leave?" Sanji asked low, speaking into his chest.

Law frowned, unsure of how to acknowledge this without falling into a verbal trap with the man. Sanji turned his head, cheek pressed where he'd rested, and looked up at him. In the morning sunlight, his eyes were a light blue, like the shallow waters at some Caribbean beach. His hair seemed lighter, framing those wide orbs, and Law was uncomfortable with the feeling of being looked at so completely. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't quite look away, either.

Sanji reached up then, touching his face. A soothing touch that ran down Law's cheek, over his jaw, then back up to reach for his thick hair. Drawing his head down, and Law didn't know why he just didn't stop it – but Sanji didn't kiss him, only pulling his head close to his so that he could press his forehead up against his, fingertips scratching gently at his scalp. For a few moments they stood there like that, and Law felt himself lulling to the sensation he felt around him; calming peace, a place to breathe, feeling nothing of his every day anxieties. He felt Sanji's other hand on his hip, just holding him gently, and Law felt his eyes close against his cheek, his breath against his face. There was the light sound of machinery starting up outside, and he could feel that vibration in his chest. Sanji's fingers spread over his scalp, soothing him, his fingers tightening on his hip – Law felt so peaceful that he could sleep now, if he wanted, but then he realized he was not hearing machinery outside. He was fucking _purring_.

He jerked himself out of Sanji's grasp and looked utterly alarmed that he was tamed so easily with such an insulting gesture – half animals like him shouldn't be petted so gently, and they shouldn't be forced to purr. He hadn't done that since he was a kid, under his parents' coddling, Corazon's reassuring hugs.

He stomped off, growling with mortification, fur on end. He took each step deliberately so that he could calm down, but he made himself head downstairs, because there was no way he could humiliate himself even further with this goddamn animal whisperer.

And now, hours later, Law was utterly mystified how things had turned the way they had. How he could allow this to happen to him. How easy it was to accept Sanji's touch, but at the same time – he knew that it had awakened feelings in him. _All_ of it. He covered his face with both hands, unsure of how to deal with this situation.

: :

Later on, when Nami, Luffy, Sanji and Brook returned from the shrine, Zeff pulled Sanji aside, headed towards their apartment for a private conversation.

"Look, this must be extremely difficult, but I've come to understand that, should you come out with it, everyone is fine with you looking at other men," Zeff said, Sanji frowning at him as he settled at the _kotatsu_ , leaning over the table while his arms and legs were pushed underneath the light blue blanket. "They just want you to be safe and educated about it."

"I don't think that's appropriate," Sanji said firmly. "Besides that, we're not here for very long, right? So what does it matter who I look at? As much as I enjoy looking at others, I am happiest being only with one."

"I feel that you're not understanding the difference between having feelings for someone romantically, and having feelings for someone that has just helped you away from a terrible situation."

" _What_? Of course I do. Having romantic feelings for someone means wanting to give them the very best and to make sure they are fed properly. Being grateful to someone means understanding that even though they helped you, you are not obligated to be indebted to them," Sanji said, surprising Zeff with the matter of fact answer, so he reeled back for a moment.

Then Zeff smiled, feeling relieved. Maybe he wouldn't have to lecture or drop into any dreaded conversations with Sanji over his feelings.

"I learned that the hard way," Sanji then muttered. "But Law was very nice about it. I don't think he understands that kissing me back gives me hope."

" _WHAT_."

"It was my fault, actually," Sanji said hastily. "I went to him. I was very upset with him planning on leaving, on taking his ring back, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I went to him, and – I just really wanted him to stay, because…I really like him, and…but I know he…feels it's inappropriate of him to respond to me, so I…was really aggressive to get my point across, but he handled it okay."

Zeff was frozen in place, listening to him speak so casually. All he could think of was how nervous Law was when they'd spoken, and how he'd mentioned none of this to him. He felt betrayed and lied to, and –

"Movies are a lie," Sanji muttered, pulling his knees up. "Just because you try and have sex with someone doesn't make them change their feelings. Do you think I'm a deviant?

Zeff continued to stare at him, utterly speechless.

"Maybe if I practiced with someone else, he'd like me? Because I didn't know what I was doing. Zeff, what should I do? How can I make him like me? Maybe if he did, he wouldn't have to go home."

His lips moving but his voice broken, Zeff struggled to process the things coming from him. Sanji frowned, waiting for some advice, but the older man was having a mini-heart attack. With a slightly frustrated expression, Sanji said, "Maybe I should ask Luffy, then. He got Nami to marry him."

"NO! No, no no, no, just…hold on. Hold on a moment. Let me…you…you _attacked_ him?"

"I wanted to make my point. I wanted him to know that he makes me feel good, so I – "

"You can't just force yourself on someone!"

"I didn't 'force myself on someone', I just – aggressively made it difficult for him to escape."

"That's _forcing_ yourself on - !"

"I watched enough movies to know that it works."

"Movies aren't real, Sanji!"

"Plus, he kissed me back."

Zeff slapped his forehead, drawing his palm and fingers over his face with an expression reddening with exacerbation.

"That's why I felt I had a chance. I hadn't realized that this was why people did it. It was really wonderful. But I feel because I hadn't practiced enough, I'm not good enough to make it feel good, so! I think once I had practice, he'll want to do it with me."

Zeff's other hand went to his face, and he could not draw any composure to speak. He felt completely unprepared for this, totally on edge. He wanted to react violently and kick the consequences into Sanji just to teach him a lesson on 'consent', but he couldn't do that. He also wanted to kick Law's ass for saying nothing of this to him earlier, to prepare him, but at the same time – he understood why Law didn't.

Slowly, uttering the words painfully, he ground out, "You're speaking only of 'kissing', right?"

"No. All the way. Body on body," Sanji answered firmly.

Zeff wanted to bury his head somewhere. He was both humiliated and horrified, and he wasn't sure which was strongest. He had expected Sanji to start exploring this side of himself _slowly,_ eventually, not - !

"Old man? Are you okay?'

"Hahhhhhhhh. Hah hahah."

"What sort of sound is that? Are you okay?" Sanji then asked with concern as Zeff struggled to breathe beyond the strangled feeling in his throat and chest. "I'm going to go get help, you don't look so good - !"

"Stop right there. I just need…to rest. To…" Lifting his head, Zeff looked at him. Sanji didn't look ashamed of the things he was speaking of – just a little frustrated, mystified. Bewildered that what he'd just described did not work. And this was only the work of someone who didn't know any better, Zeff reasoned. For someone that had only experienced complete and utter turmoil for most of his life, using only what he saw in movies as advice, rather than the advice from trusted friends and from actual life experience. Which didn't make it okay in any way, but Zeff never expected this sort of thing to happen.

He slowly shifted back into a sitting position, Sanji giving him a concerned look. Once he was settled, Zeff said slowly, "What you did was wrong, boy. _Very_ wrong. You can't force yourself onto someone, no matter what you feel. I'm surprised he was very cordial about it. You don't use…physical force to convince someone to 'stay'. It would've been fine if you'd just confessed your feelings and left it at that, but to force a kiss, to try and….try and have sex with them, without their consent – very wrong. It's abhorrent."

Sanji reddened. "But it works in movies - !"

"If someone tried that with you, how would you feel? Think, boy! _Think_! That is another type of violence altogether! You crossed the line with him, and you…I hope you apologized."

"I can," Sanji said in a small voice. "I just…I just thought that it'd work, like in the movies…"

Zeff winced, because Nami had been showing him a lot of romance movies, lately. He had thought nothing of it, but now, he wanted to know what types of movies Nami had been watching with him to show that this type of behavior was acceptable. "Well, it didn't. You've made him very uncomfortable, I'm sure. There is a big difference between movies and life, and this…this wasn't a very good example. You just don't do something without someone's permission. Is this understood?"

"Yes."

"Look," Zeff said, reaching out to touch him, hands on his shoulders, "we'll go and apologize to him. Then come back here, and we'll have a long talk about these things. Over what's appropriate and what is not. Let's go."

Wearing a horrified expression, Sanji nodded once, then followed after him, head hanging with shame. They walked down the hall to Law's apartment. Zeff knocked firmly, and when the catman answered, Zeff found himself unable to look at him. But he placed a hand atop of Sanji's head to make him bow properly, silently demanding that he apologize while Law wore a chagrinned expression for reason for the visit.

"I'm sorry I tried to have sex with you," Sanji apologized, much to the horror of three men.

"OH MY JESUS. _Why_ do I walk into the end of things?" Zoro asked, looking faint as he startled the three of them with his sudden presence. He had followed them down the hall, not saying anything because he had felt that something had happened, with the upset way Zeff had held himself and Sanji looked guilty, so he only kept his mouth shut until now. "What does that even mean? I came up here to get you to come out and spar, and _this_ happens?"

Covering his face with one hand, deeply mortified by every misunderstanding, Law didn't say anything.

"Come down to the shop after, sheesh," Zoro said, stumbling away.

"NOT A WORD!" Zeff shouted after him, Zoro waving a hand over his shoulder to acknowledge this. Then to Law, Zeff said, "I apologize for not coaching this man right in the way of things. I will do my best to educate him on proper courtship – not to say that he will continue to pursue you, but he will not do this again."

"S'okay," Law muttered, throat tight.

"But," Zeff added, reaching over to grab his shirt as Sanji covered his face with both hands, humiliated with his own actions, "we'll talk later about this goddamn kiss you _both_ shared. For _shame_. You knew better."

"I…apologize," Law said quickly, to him and to Sanji before ducking back into his apartment and shutting the door. Zeff turned Sanji around, and they both headed back to theirs. Sanji left his side without another word and headed to the shower stall, shutting the door behind him. Zeff decided to leave him there, and walked to the small living space, exhaling heavily as he sat. Wearing a weary expression, he looked towards the window, watching snow fall gently. He felt he handled the situation appropriately, but he hadn't realized just how much it took out of him.

He definitely felt his age at this moment, and decided to take a nap before anything else happened to give him a heart attack.


	16. Life On Earth

**A/N: My reviews aren't showing, again. Grr. I will be posting less and less ...got an offer I can't refuse!  
**

 **Guest: *whispers* Shizuo... Ahem. Yes! Luffy is on season two. Wonder what he feels about it. I know how I feel about it. I tell ya, some people would be having heart attacks, that's for sure.**

 **Panda Blackwhite: LOL Zoro has the worst luck! And he's too manly for his own good, damn it. Being the stubborn ass he is, he needs to change his way of thinking before it's too late! lol and oh my...you're too funny!**

 **Hallconen: HAHA! This 'tricky boy' has some more up his sleeve - he's definitely influenced by those damn dramas. It's probably best that those dramas are rated PG-13 lol! Thank you for dropping in! :D**

 **16: Life on Earth**

Zoro's expression said it all once Law dragged himself downstairs to meet him. Bepo, Brook and Nami were all clustered around the computer laughing at something, with Franky on his way out to do some parts shopping. Luffy was in the middle of an anime marathon, and had called out for Nami to bring him some snacks. Carne was slow roasting something in the kitchen that smelled amazing.

" _First_ off, it wasn't what you think," Law said quietly, reddening from the neck up all over again. He glanced cautiously at the trio nearby, then at Carne, who was humming something off key as he mashed something in what looked like a stone bowl. He looked back at Zoro with a low growl. "It was a _major_ misunderstanding."

"I made you a shirt," Zoro said just as quietly, as the others burst into laughter over the computer. He pulled what Law had thought was a towel hanging from his haramaki and gave it to him. "You are to wear it at all times, and stay at least thirty yards away from small blond boys who may or may not be royalty."

"He is a grown man, stop referring to him as a child. It's demeaning." Law looked at the shirt, seeing that it was a plain white tee – sweat stained in some areas – with the word, "Pillager" written in bold letters on the front and back. He threw it to the corner of the room. " _Ridiculous_!"

"I thought it sounded little more Viking with 'pillager' rather than 'predator'. I also thought 'plunderer', but I couldn't think of the right way to spell it."

" _Why_ are you so - ?"

Zoro reached out and snagged him with an arm around his neck, both of them growling at each other, tails twitching as ears lowered.

"Hey, you two! Knock it off! Someone get me the spray bottle!" Nami ordered.

His voice low, Zoro said, "Look, you may have everyone else fooled, but not me. This is the _second_ time I walked into a scene where he was apologizing to you for some weird thing, and I think that it's all _your_ fault that he's been involved with some pretty immoral things."

"You are totally wrong on every account!" Law snarled at him, reaching between them to push him, but Zoro held on firmly, so they were both pushing and pulling at each other. Teeth bared, both of them began growling at each other, but it was Zoro that looked like he was having fun.

"Is it a cat thing, or a man thing?" Brook asked curiously, watching them bang off one of the walls before falling out of sight within the kitchen. Carne yelled at them moments later.

"It's a _Dumb Ass_ thing," Nami answered, chin on palm. "He always starts it. Bepo. Stop it before Luffy gets served Orange Chicken, tonight."

"What's…? I don't get it," Bepo said, blinking owlishly before walking off towards the kitchen with a howl of, "Manly Separation Tactic, _Plan 2_!"

"I swear, we can't have nice things," Nami muttered at the sound of the kitchen table being dragged over the floor, and some yells of outrage. A chair scuttled into view before toppling over. "I need another woman around here."

Her eyes caught the incoming blink of mail from the toolbar on the bottom of the screen, and she clicked on it to open it, seeing that it was marked Top Priority. Once the email opened, she realized someone was requesting a repeat of delivery from one point to another – specifying the workers wanted. While it wasn't unusual, Nami was definitely suspicious now that they were actively hiding someone. She checked the IP address of the sender, finding it legit.

She sent a confirmation, and scheduled out their travel in two days, citing a full schedule. After some negotiation of payment, she then resumed watching Bepo work on separating the two hissing at each other.

Once Bepo managed to toss them outside, Zoro and Law separated and glared at each other, Bepo slamming the doors shut behind them.

"So, explain yourself," Zoro said, hands on his hips, tail flicking as he gave Law his sternest look of reproach. "What happened that I managed to 'misunderstand'?"

Law frowned at him, wondering why he should even bother telling him.

Zoro exhaled with irritation, hands up. "Look, we all just had a little talk about these things. We wanted him to be more aware of predatory behavior when he starts getting out there. Little did we know – "

"Will you just stop already? But he should be banned from watching tv with Nami," Law mumbled. "He's got the wrong idea of…things."

" _Ugh_. Those dramas she's always watching? I mean, I never pay attention, but – "

"When he said that, he…he did not…he…let's just say, the things that happened were not 'sex' nor 'kissing'. I felt like I was being attacked by an overly affectionate furling."

Zoro stared at him for a few moments, then tried to picture the scene. A 'furling' being a small child from their home world, most of whom didn't know their boundaries yet as they explored the world with their nearly discovered senses. He did have to admit Sanji was like this – a little prickly but definitely curious.

"Ha! Are you for real?"

"Yes! I…" Law trailed off, unsure of whether to confess that he'd almost responded. _Several_ times. If he did, that would definitely change some things – but his own response to that was that it had been awhile since someone had given him attention. Had he only responded out of loneliness, out of being _wanted_ , which he hadn't felt, before? The few times he'd partaken in another, it was always in a very dark room so his splotches could not be seen, and it had been impersonal. Just business.

Zoro frowned because it seemed Law was going through some internal issues, and he didn't want to hear about it, because Law was always brooding about something or another. "Look, you Mangy Cat. Whatever issues you're dealing with, now, that's nothing, right? You're still going to leave anyway, so why even bother feeling bad about it?"

"Because he was upset that I am. That was the entire reason for the attack."

"' _Attack'_ , hah! Wait." Zoro paused, rubbing his chin as he considered the grey skies above, flakes falling around them lightly. "So. Because of Nami's dramas, he thought he could convince you to stay? So…does he have a crush on you, or something?"

"You could say that."

Zoro narrowed his eyes, then looked at him. Law looked very troubled about it, almost guilty. In the dull light of the day, those white patches on his face and neck stood out more, and his eye bags were even darker. He seemed a little twitchier, looking over his shoulder a couple of times – which made things hysterical – but while Zoro had already thought that Law had some looks to him, he just could not picture Sanji looking at him with adoration. Yes, the others had mentioned the 'tension' between them, but the guy was very rude and curt towards Law after the last time Zoro walked in on an unfortunate incident. So what changed?

"Are you encouraging him?" he asked suspiciously.

"NO! Never had I – been anything inappropriate towards him. I didn't think – he's often very frosty with me, I didn't know – "

"What, you can't smell it when it happens? Humans' scent changes when they want another. That's why I can't stand being around those two inside. It's a weird change, and it's gross."

"Says the guy that slept with humans."

"Hey, I admit – humans are nice, they're very…adventurous sometimes. BUT you can tell they're aware of you like that because their scent changes."

"I didn't notice it until last night."

"Are you a _virgin_?"

"Jesus, _no_!"

"You aren't just talking about the goddamn selection process, are you? You had more experience beyond that, right?"

When Law's face reddened, Zoro groaned and looked disgusted. Back home, before the marriage matchmaking began, because most of them lacked emotions towards romantic relationships, they were often 'tested' to see which gender they responded more to, ensuring a better selection process. It was a common thing – generation upon generation of them had been bred to understand that marriage was about advantage, not emotion, so this process was necessary to at least ensure that it would be compatible, without either trying to maul each other to death.

He was not that surprised to hear that Law was as straight edge as the rest of them – but he _was_ surprised that Law wasn't in need of smelling salts to treat his shock after being attacked by a 'furling' like Sanji.

"You are so…" He trailed off, searching for the right word, then stressed, " _pampered_. You are so pampered it hurts."

"Will you stop staying that?"

"Earth must've been a huge culture shock to you – no wonder you're so damn twitchy!"

"I'm not 'twitchy'. I am…always on high alert."

"Same thing. Look, whatever. If that naughty furling tries attacking you again, just sit him in 'time-out' and make him think about what he's doing. Roll up some newspaper and hit him in the nose, he should get the idea real fast. Maybe it'll apply to any future ideas he has with others – make him think twice before he jumps on some other guy."

For a moment, Law couldn't answer. He couldn't help but picture Sanji doing to someone else what he'd done with him hours earlier, and it made him feel angry all over again. Humans would take advantage of that eagerness in mere seconds. But he couldn't say that. His lips tightened, and it was a struggle, but he managed to say, "I will not hit Sanji with a rolled up newspaper just because he tries to hump my leg."

Zoro laughed out loud.

"Not that he _did_ , just - ! The image that came to mind was that."

"Fucking hilarious. Look, okay, I get it. Now that he's all settled in and comfortable with us, he's going to be feeling things. _Adult_ things. If it comes down to it, we need to be extra cautious about it. humans love that sort of thing – it's terrible to think just how many of them would take advantage of his inexperience, and once they leave, Zeff's going to have his hands full."

Zoro saw the twitch of Law's jaw as it tightened. Then stared at him before leaning over, sniffing. Law slapped him away.

"Don't smell me!"

"Your scent changed for a second, there."

"It did not! Stupid tiger, shut up about it."

"Hey, cat, I go up there right now and smell him, am I going to smell –?" Zoro's eyes widened, and he made to run but Law tackled him. Both of them rolled around on the snowy ground, struggling to keep the other from escaping. "Plunderer!"

"LIES! _Stupid_ – making up – lies!" Law snarled, struggling to keep Zoro from running away, both of them rolling about in the snow.

"Then why are you holding me back?"

"Because _of course_ you're going to smell me on him - ! He's touchy as fuck!"

"Then why act guilty?"

"It's not guilt!"

"Then let go!"

" _No_!"

From inside, Nami shook her head in disgust. Brook and Bepo looked ashamed as they watched the intense wrestling match, the growls and snarls audible from their position.

"Seriously, is this a _feline_ thing? I thought dogs fought more than cats," Nami asked incredulously. "They can't keep their damn hands off each other."

Before anyone could answer, Luffy pushed his head up to the window to see what they were looking at, his arms laden with snacks from the pantry. Once he saw them rolling around, he dropped everything and laughed, running outside, barking. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Me too!"

"I can't watch this anymore," Nami decided as Luffy joined in, separating them, then attacking individually. The barking, yowls and hissing was too much for her, and she turned to head upstairs, to see if Sanji wanted to watch some movies with her. Brook and Bepo watched the three fight outside, shaking their heads, Carne joining them at the noise.

: :

After that, Sanji had given Law the cold shoulder; he'd become so frosty that the others complained of frostbite. He wouldn't even look at him, turning his head to the side with such chilling snobbery that the others noticed right away that something was wrong. What made it worse was Zeff's suspicious eyes on both of them, and Zoro muttering things about rolled up newspapers. The tension between the catmen had become so strong that Franky had separated them, making them sit at both ends of the table.

"I'm going to send someone else," Nami decided with a frown. "Which one of you wants to stay?"

"I'll go," Law muttered, glaring at the table.

" _I_ want to go," Zoro said. "You need to stay here and keep steadfast on that training."

"My sword work is – "

"I'm not talking about your swordwork," Zoro said with a wide grin.

"I know you're not talking about anything else!"

"What if I am?"

"Both of you, shut up! Why are you fighting so much?" Luffy asked, hitting the table to get their attention. All he received in return were two growls, two catmen glaring at each other. Franky rolled his eyes.

"I'm just annoyed with this guy," Zoro said, looking irritated, drumming his fingers on the table.

"I'm annoyed with _him_ ," Law growled back, "always butting his stupid head into my business."

"If you weren't - !"

"No, _you_ were - !"

"Both of you, _shut up_!" Franky shouted, hitting the table and causing everyone's food to shift on their plates, cups to nearly topple. "If you're going to fight, go to your rooms!"

"After him!"

"You're not allowed anywhere near my back!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You want me to spell it out?"

"Cats are territorial, right?" Brook whispered to Bepo, who nodded. "Then what are they being so territorial _about_?"

"I heard that," Zoro said, snapping a murderous look his way. "This is not about territory!"

"Why would I bother with the things that he has?" Law asked incredulously, Brook pulling back with a startled gasp.

"They're in love with each other," Nami muttered, stuffing her mouth with turkey, and causing them to sputter ferociously. "I've seen it so many times in my shows to know this. This is extreme sexual tension."

"NO IT'S NOT!" they both screamed at her, causing an uproar at the table.

"Just hump and get it over with!" Nami shouted at them.

"Nami, why even say that?" Luffy asked, looking at her with worry.

At that time, Sanji stood up from his chair and walked away, causing Zeff to look after him with concern. By the time everyone stopped shouting at each other, he and Carne were the only ones cleaning up. Afterward, he headed upstairs to their apartment, and walked into the bathroom, seeing that Sanji was petting the Water Mite – which was so much bigger than he'd seen previously, the thing standing over four feet tall and looking at him with a startled whistle.

"You're not supposed to be touching that thing! What is wrong with you?"

"He learned to control himself," Sanji said with a huff, demonstrating by drawing his hands over the creature's watery body, and then holding his hands up. "He's very docile. He didn't mean to hurt anybody."

"What's wrong with you, boy? Why'd you leave so suddenly?"

"No reason. It was…too much," Sanji muttered, glaring down at his knees.

Zeff understood that maybe the tension had just been suffocating for the sensitive man, who still flinched if someone made sudden motions towards him, or lifted their voice with anger. Which was common, considering that most of them were men and liked to disagree with each other.

"Ah. Well…if it were only that, then…I'm sure those two knuckleheads will eventually stop picking on each other. It might only be cabin fever. Did you get enough to eat?"

"I'm not…hungry."

"If I hear your stomach growling, I'm going to wake up and kick your ass. Stop playing with this thing. What are you feeding it, by the way, to make it grow?" Zeff asked, looking at it. The Water Mite looked at him curiously, almond shaped eyes rounding slightly before those lips of it curled with a smile. Zeff couldn't see where the nucleus was, anymore – not with so much water curling around it so rapidly, retaining its formation.

"I don't know. He just grew. I suspect he leaves, sometimes, down the drain, and back." Sanji then leaned forward, licking a part of the thing's back, causing Zeff horror. The creature seemed to giggle, wiggling its back merrily. "He tastes salty and dirty – "

" _Don't put your mouth on that thing_!"

"Why?"

Zeff palmed his forehead, unsure of how to put it. The man had eaten trash, rotten food, his own vomit to survive those years in the cell – he couldn't quite explain why it wasn't appropriate.

"Just…don't do that in front of others," he then muttered. He then gave Sanji a cautious expression, leaning against the doorframe. "You're not still pouting about this morning, are you?"

Sanji stopped touching the creature, who whistled low with seeming concern. He then frowned deeply.

"Were you not going to say anything about this infatuation?" Zeff asked him. "I admit, I would have never guessed if you hadn't broken your neck trying to look at that guy at the construction site, a few times."

"No."

"Then this one?"

"I tried to stop the first time when he told me I was only confused," Sanji said quietly. "And I thought that I was only mistaking everything that I felt, because it had been…a very long time since someone touched me so kindly. Or, at all. But…it's different. Different for him than the others."

"First crushes are always the hardest," Zeff said gently. "You've plenty of time to fall for others. Plenty of time to learn what it is you really want."

Sanji shrugged, fiddling with the Water Mite's back. "But what if I'm still not worthy of others? What if -?"

"You'll stop thinking that way right now, boy. It's not fair towards yourself. You are absolutely worth every moment, and any… _man_ …would be lucky to have you. If they don't feel that way, then there's no need for them. You'll find many that will be appreciative of you, but, also, those that are a hard lesson. That's how life is. This one – this is a lesson, but remember, you're friends, first. At the end of the day, you'll be working together, so maybe treating him as if he doesn't exist isn't nice. He was rejected too, you know. Despite it, he was looking forward to that marriage."

Sanji nodded, looking guilty. The Water Mite began to chirp, looping around and around him, water sloshing noisily. Zeff expected to get hit, but every drop managed to find its way back into the creature's form until it finally splashed down into the tub. All the water that had formed its body spilled over until it filled most of the space available, then it was gone, coursing through the drain with alarming weight.

Zeff watched it disappear, shivered briefly, then walked off, Sanji frowning after him. He sat at the edge of the tub for awhile, thinking about this morning. He was pretty sure Law had kissed him back. Their lips _did_ touch. But then again, he wasn't quite sure about the process. He'd seen Nami and Luffy kiss plenty of times, others in the streets expressing their affections. Of course, he remembered kissing his cheek a couple of times, but he never tried again after Law scolded him. But in the dramas, kisses weren't as intense as sex – and he'd seen enough scenes where the actors laid on each other underneath blankets, cut scenes then switching to after, where minds were changed and hearts laid out. So he knew sex was _guaranteed_ to work, which was why he cut to the chase.

Somehow, though, he had the idea that something was missing. Maybe he hadn't done it right. Maybe he needed more references. Maybe he should try a different tactic. He'd ignored Law for Zeff's health, and to plan stealthily. He'd heard the others remark on his abrupt behavior, but because this was an 'unacceptable' act, he had to keep it to himself. But he was desperate to keep the catman close - he couldn't think of another way.

The next night after dinner, Law retired to his futon with a feeling of exhaustion. After working on Zeff for most of the day and constantly fighting with Zoro, he felt tired straight down to his bones. He felt he could sleep for days, but he, Bepo and Brook were set for a week long trip outside of the 'calm belt' to the West Blue for a delivery. He hoped that the week away would clear his head of the things that had happened, allow him to think differently other than what he was starting to think...or feel.

He thought it was dangerous feeling this way, because he felt unfamiliar with it. The _soft_ thoughts he was starting to acknowledge made him feel nervous – he felt they were wrong, and he didn't know how to talk about it. He knew if he did, he'd be slayed a thousand times until next week – labeled a 'pervert', a 'predator', shunned, flayed alive – possibly turned away from Earth because of the things he thought of Sanji. Every trip away, he thought of him. Every time they sat down to eat, his eyes would follow him. Every time Sanji ignored him felt like a blow to a lung – but hearing what he had to say, full of his learned 'manly indifference', made Law's chest tight with added anxieties.

Why would he even _like_ Law in the first place? Why after all this time? There was nothing about him worthy of that man's attention – he wasn't that attractive, he wasn't that special, he said all the wrong things, he wasn't that good of a fighter; he couldn't even have feelings for someone – why would Sanji even _like_ him?

Law attributed it to Sanji's confusion. He must _only_ be confused, still thinking that he had to be a certain way because he was appreciative – so then, why didn't Sanji treat Zoro a certain way?

He had just come back, but he was looking forward to getting away so that he could sort this out. Maybe by the time he did, he'd have a better mind about things, be able to fix it with Sanji so Sanji wouldn't get the wrong idea, anymore.

He had just relaxed into his pillow when he heard his door open and close. Puzzled, he lifted his head to peer through the darkness near the partition and saw Sanji walking in with a pillow and blanket of his own.

Seeing him surprised him, made Law feel a little uneasy because of how strongly he'd ignored Law the past couple of days, so Law was unsure of what to say. Trailing behind him was a little person that made Law sit up straight, its low whistling sounding like curiosity as it drifted away from Sanji and started exploring his bookshelves.

"What is _that_?" Law asked with slight panic, finding its appearance a little frightening as it moved swiftly, looking at him with unsettling dark eyes.

"His name is Tony Chopper," Sanji told him, dropping his pillow near his futon.

"What are you doing?" Law asked him cautiously.

"I'm going to sleep with you," Sanji said with determination. "Nami said that to change Luffy's mind, she sleeps with him, and he usually gives her what she wants."

Law looked at him with horror, shaking his head frantically as Sanji then dropped down onto the futon. Both of them struggled with each other, the comforter being ripped aside, and Law was sure he had to teleport himself out of there to avoid any other grave misunderstandings – _accusations_ – but then he realized that Sanji was only pushing him. He relaxed slightly as he then watched Sanji push his pillow between them, like a wall. Law was absolutely befuddled, looking from the pillow to him with his mouth slightly open.

"So I won't roll over your tail when I sleep," Sanji said with a matter of fact tone. "Sleeping with me will change your mind about leaving, I guarantee it."

On his elbows, Law stared over at him as Sanji settled on his side away from him, dragging his blanket over for additional warmth. Tony Chopper left the bookshelves and meandered in their direction. It seemed like a walking contradiction – its body radiated cold, but the _air_ around it seemed to leave behind a certain dryness that made Law feel as if he were in a desert environment. It curled up against Sanji with a light whimper, Sanji reaching out and petting it with reassurance.

Seeing that this was one of those misunderstandings, Law resettled back on his side of the futon, looking up at the ceiling. He tried not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sanji demanded, lifting his head to look back at him.

"Nothing. Just…this is what Nami told you, huh?"

"Not to me directly, she was talking on the phone, and she seemed to forget that I was there. She wanted shoes, and Luffy felt she had enough of them. Then, next day, I saw she had shoes she wanted."

Law laughed out loud.

"What's so _funny_?"

"Nothing. I just…one day, you'll look back and find the humor in it."

"' _Humor'_ ," Sanji muttered, resettling. "I don't know why this is humor, I'm serious."

Tony made a sound that could have been 'Chopper', but it seemed only like watery noises to Law. Like someone running their fingertip atop of several differently filled glasses at once.

"Now, hush. Tired."

"If Zeff catches you in here, we'll both be in trouble for sleeping together," Law warned him. He couldn't keep a straight face saying that. "Me, mainly. I should know better than to sleep with some man that forces himself into my bed."

"Then don't tell. _Shh_. I sneak out before him."

 _Nami was right_ , Law thought, yawning noisily. He resettled on his pillow, feeling so tired that everything seemed to sink into the futon without too much struggle. He closed his eyes to go to sleep, but he heard himself ask, "What was your asshole of a father like?"

"Why you talk so much? You like hearing your own voice."

Law had to laugh at that one because the others always complained that he didn't talk enough. He shrugged, figuring he was right, and decided to ask another time.

"At one time, he was…as a father should be," he heard Sanji mumble.

" _Tony_!" said the thing lying next to him.

"He treated me like the others. He wasn't afraid to show his love. Big hugs, compliments, gifting, all those things fathers do," Sanji said, speaking slowly. "Then, as he put us to test, he…changed. And suddenly he was more short tempered. Suddenly, he let Ichiji say things when he never used to. And he let Niji hit. And Yonji never liked to feel left out. Suddenly, father turned away. I don't understand why."

Law figured Sanji was much too young to even understand an adult's thought process, but he just could not fathom thinking the way Sanji's father did. He turned to look over at him in the darkness – he could see that Sanji was petting the thing next to him, the creature looking over Sanji's shoulder to his direction. The thing had a creepy face. Law hoped that it didn't plan on eating him, or anything.

"Why you ask?"

"Because I don't understand why someone would do that to their own child."

"All I know is what he said. I failed him. I wasn't worthy of his efforts or attention. I hadn't realized that it was a test to be loved. Otherwise, I try not to be like my mother much earlier."

Law hated the feeling in his chest, the burn that came upon hearing that. ' _Test to be loved_ '. "What was your mother like? Anything that you remember."

"She was sick. So she stay in hospital. But she smiled, and she hugged, and she did her best to make me feel welcome. Then she passed, and suddenly father felt that she still lived in me. I don't understand why he hated her so much. I can't see anything back then that said he did, but he must if he tried to…rid of me."

"Did she oppose him in any way? Disagree with him?"

"She never spoke to him, that I knew of. She spoke only of him. I don't remember seeing them together. Nor were there any pictures of them together. Now, I wonder if they truly were."

"What do you think about him, now?" Law asked curiously.

Sanji exhaled heavily, and Law saw him shrug. "I'm tired of thinking about him," he said low.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Sanji asked, looking back at him curiously. "It's not like _you_ do it."

"Just…it's not fair that you had that sort of life. When you are one of the most gentlest people I know," Law said truthfully. "How you remain that way is just…I don't understand that. I would be…filled with negative emotions, all the time."

"But you feel nothing. Because I don't even see you upset, or angry at anything other than Zoro, and you don't even fight for things," Sanji said, sitting up to look at him, Tony shifting to his feet.

"I do."

"No. You say, 'No, Bepo, I don't want it,' when Bepo has cake, but you sulk because there is no more. You say, 'No, I don't want it,' when Nami offer you pay raise after fox stole, and then you have no credits to call home."

"You are sneaky, to know all those things," Law muttered.

" _Tony_! _Tony_!"

"I watch. Sometimes, I am angry with you because you don't fight. It's not…so it makes me think you not fight going home because…because why?" Sanji asked. "Is it because you want to?"

"No," Law answered honestly. "No, I don't want to."

"Then _why_?"

"It is a…obligation."

"I don't understand. I fight. I _want_ to live. You want to stay? You don't fight. I don't understand."

Law didn't, either, feeling frustration swirling around in his gut. "It's just…I guess I never had to. There never was a point in doing so. Where I lived, everything was set in stone, dictated 'as is'. I grew up doing certain things to accomplish certain things, and that was…that was it. There was no room for independent thinking."

"So, now you're away, and you still can't? Foolish."

"Chop- _per_! _Chop_ – _per_!"

Law could hear Zoro saying those things. It irritated him that someone else was saying them as well, thinking that it was so easy. He looked over at him, seeing that Sanji was scowling at his fingers. He exhaled heavily.

"I guess I just didn't have anything to fight for," he said.

"After living here, you still don't? You leave behind friends, you leave behind me."

"Oh? I like how you individualize yourself."

"Well, we _are_ sleeping together…"

"Don't repeat that to the others, please. They won't understand," Law said with a light laugh.

"You think you don't fight because you don't value yourself?" Sanji asked curiously.

Law frowned at that one. He hadn't thought of it that way, before. But at the same time, he couldn't imagine that anyone would think so. Not after being rejected by society, by his own people for being a survivor. At that point, being forced away from everything he knew, not seen as 'useful', did leave him feeling worthless.

"That's probably it," he said quietly. "Without an assigned task, and not being able to marry to satisfy Doflamingo, I don't…feel like a person, or anyone of any value. That marriage was supposed to give him more territory, more power – but now I have…nothing more to give him, so I need to return home."

"But you're a doctor here. You fix people. And you make the others laugh. At you, granted, but still! And Bepo adores you, I don't know why…"

"You have a way with compliments."

"And Zoro can't help but fight with you, just because you're taller. I don't see him treat Franky that way. And Franky talks to you about things…can't imagine what, really. And Brook says he scared of you, but I don't know why. Nami likes teasing you. Luffy, well, he like everyone, really."

"And you?" Law asked, cringing as he did so.

"I don't know. Guess I just like view. Too much time spent in cell, I don't have taste."

Law laughed again. He glanced over at him, seeing him pet the creature that crawled tentatively between them. "What is that? Is it dangerous?"

"Don't be scared. He's good. He is Water Mite."

" _No way_. I didn't think they grew that big, or even looked like that - !"

"Because you guys just kill them. I'm tired. Are you done talking?"

"Yes."

"Finally. Talk ear off when I'm tired."

Law reached across the pillow between them, just to squeeze his arm with affection. "You are feisty for someone that looks like you."

"What that mean? And stay on own side. I never slept with someone, before. I am new, and nervous."

Chuckling, Law turned his back to him. "Good night, creep."

"…Good night."

The next morning, he woke up at the feel of fingers over his scalp. It felt good because it made him think of his mother waking him up in the morning. With soothing words and gentle hands, and he was caught in the moment, remembering her loving voice. Her fingers would run through his hair then between his ears, scratching there with affection before her head bump, encouraging him to wake up. The memory was beautiful, and it made him smile, hearing himself purr. Granted, it was scratchy and faint, and it made him realize that he hadn't done that since he was a kid – since Corazon last did it – since the other night – so now he was awake and he growled in reaction, stiffening up. He couldn't resist grabbing that hand from his head, and biting it, just to teach the furling a lesson. Then kissed it just to show it wasn't out of aggression. _Then_ violently tossed his arm aside because he was dealing with a man that didn't know these things, that he _wasn't_ a furling, and he was blushing for his reaction –

But Sanji didn't react any which way to this show, saying only, " _Shh_ …grinding teeth."

"Don't _pet_ me."

"You only get mad because catch yourself liking it."

"...I apologize for biting you."

"You kissed it afterward, it's fine. Just like cat outside. Don't know what you want."

Law managed to pull out of his mortified state in time to see Sanji pulling himself out of the futon with a yawn, dragging the blankets behind him. Law noticed the creature sitting in the midst of them, still asleep. Law snorted with humor, then rolled over with some relief, finding that the futon had been too small for two adults. He then frowned, uncomfortable with the feeling he felt smelling Sanji's scent on the pillow that had been left behind.

Hours later, he yawned noisily, everyone saying their 'goodbyes'. But he noticed Sanji was missing, and Zeff must have noticed him see this as well, saying gruffly, "He said he wasn't feeling good."

Law tried not to show his disappointment, but he felt his lips tighten briefly. "Maybe I should check on him, first. He's been sick a lot, lately."

"We have time," Brook said cheerfully.

A minute later, Law hesitated outside of their apartment. He felt that Sanji was avoiding him for a reason. Maybe it was easier for him to avoid saying 'goodbye' – maybe he shouldn't push it. Maybe Sanji was doing this for his own show, maybe…

But at the same time, Law steeled himself and knocked on the door before walking in. He caught sight of Sanji sitting at the window, the Water Mite at his side, looking out as well.

"You're not feeling well?"

With a jerk, Sanji looked at him guiltily. Then scowled back out the window. "Isn't it time for you to go?"

"I came to check up on you after Zeff said you weren't feeling well."

"I'm fine."

"If you're sure…we'll be back by Tuesday."

"Be _fine_!"

Law shrugged and turned to go when Sanji gave a huff.

"You'll come back, right? Not…go back home? Not – "

"No. Zeff – he's doing great, but I can do more when I come back. It's only when he's finished that I'll take my leave, Sanji," Law assured him, feeling odd doing so. He couldn't picture a man like this even caring so much – but Sanji's expression reminded him of his own when Corazon left. That troubled uncertainty that hit whenever the half crow took a trip, and all Law could think about was all the things that _could_ happen because Corazon was capable of creating these things on his own – those anxieties never left until Corazon came back.

Law hoped he wasn't teaching Sanji any bad habits. He turned to leave when Sanji said nothing in response.

" _Wait_." With a glare that betrayed the visible flush spreading over his face, Sanji said stiffly, "Have…have safe trip. Come…home soon."

Law nodded, satisfied with that. He acknowledged the flip-flop in his chest, the few seconds it took to look away. "Stay out of those construction sites."

"Eh, practice makes perfect," Sanji muttered with a shrug, returning his attention to the window, not seeing Law look back at him with a frown.

It was _jealousy_ , Law realized, feeling that ugly feeling again. It surprised him with the force of it, because he was sure that it was there for a much deeper reason than the superficial ones he felt for most people.

When he returned downstairs, out of earshot from the others, he told Zoro, "He's under orders to relieve stress in any way possible. So he thought visiting with some friends at some construction site would help him. I didn't know he even had friends outside of here with how Zeff keeps him close."

"Like _hell_ ," Zoro answered, giving him a bewildered look. "What do you mean, 'stress relief'?"

Law shrugged. "I think he's stressed – holiday things, probably dealing with depression, I suggested he learn how to relieve it by getting out more with the lot of you. Maybe you can help him out with some tips."

"Well, the things I have in mind aren't anywhere _near_ construction sites," Zoro muttered. "Or other predators in general. Whatever, I'll deal with it."

Law struggled to repress the satisfied smile that threatened to burst free. Zoro was so easy to manipulate with the right words. "Be a pal."

"Hey, you guys come back safely, okay? We need you here," Zoro then added, reaching out to punch his arm. After it had gone dead and Law stopped grimacing, Zoro then said, "No homo."

"Yeah, sure."

: :

"Why you two fight so much?" Sanji asked Zoro nearly a week later, pulling on his hooded jacket. He had a list in hand, and they were headed to the grocery store to pick up supplies. He had been pretty busy, lately – it seemed everyone had stepped in to keep him occupied, and while he thought it was pleasant to experience so many different things with different people, he was a little surprised at their enthusiasm to keep him active.

Franky took him to the shop and showed him how to use tools, took him on long motorcycle trips through both the surface and sky city; seeing the island from the back of a motorcycle had been refreshing. Nami had taken him shopping – well, she shopped, he carried her bags and agreed to the thousands of outfits she tried on. In the midst of it, she gossiped with him about everything, bitched about Luffy, praised her husband's methods, and Sanji subtly learned from her how else to entice Law into staying. He looked forward to trying these things on the catman.

Carne and Zeff continued training him on defending himself; they seemed frantic on how to prepare himself to react if a stranger touched him. Really, he didn't know why they were so concerned when he didn't _like_ the thought of any stranger touching him. Zeff had bawled him out for using his hands months back, and after the first few times of having the lecture, Sanji was getting better at just kicking things. Zeff still felt that he was holding back, and Sanji knew that he was. All the teachings Jajji had him engaged in years ago were still fresh in mind whenever he had to spar one of the others, and he felt that he wasn't good enough. After every losing battle to his brothers, to Jajji, Sanji still felt deep inside of him, that his ability to fight wasn't good enough.

The cell he'd lived in had charcoal drawings of training dummies, to which he'd used to 'spar' with in his bid to impress his father. But after Jajji broke his back, he was no longer able to spar with those drawings – and drawings didn't hit back. Sanji didn't want to tell them about that, though, feeling certain that it was silly.

Luffy had taken him outside and got them lost somewhere near the other end of the island for a couple of days. One smell had led to another until Luffy realized he was lost, and had howled for Nami to find them. By the time they were found, they were cold, wet and hungry, and Nami did not find the shirt Luffy was wearing amusing. Sanji didn't know where Luffy had found it, but it had 'Pillager' written on the front and back in sloppy characters.

Now it was Zoro's turn to 'occupy' him, even though the tiger had been a constant presence in all these adventures except for the one with Luffy. Sanji still wouldn't pick up a _bokken_ against him, and though he'd kicked him a few times for Zoro's 'sass', Zoro was still stronger in will and dominance that Sanji found that refusing to fight him often caused Zoro to back off. It frustrated Zoro and Zeff, but Sanji found that they wouldn't push him if he'd already made the choice not to lift a foot when he didn't want to.

"Because he annoys me," Zoro answered him, yawning mightily.

"Be back by four," Zeff said from the kitchen. "Or else everyone goes hungry!"

Sanji waved at him impatiently, not needing to be told constantly how to stay to schedule, and followed Zoro outside. Both of them began walking, and Sanji learned a long time ago he had to lead, or else Zoro would have them at water's edge for hours, insisting that he knew the way via 'shortcut'.

"Not like…you lovers, or anything, right?" Sanji asked cautiously, giving him side-eye.

"No!" Zoro exclaimed with horror. "Look, the thing is, kid – "

"Stop. We same age."

"Maybe physically, but not mentally. Look – "

"Like I am retard?"

"That's not a nice thing to say, and forget that I was the one to say it first. I take it back."

"Okay."

"The thing is, we might come from the same planet, but we come from different castes," Zoro said, crossing his arms over his chest as the cold registered. The sidewalks were narrow on this side of the city, and there were people moving hastily, with heavy winter clothing. Some wore facemasks, others had pulled their scarves over the lower half of their faces. His furred hood was pulled over his hair, but his ears kept twitching underneath, irritated by the covering. He had his tail wrapped around his waist, and Sanji was moving comfortably in a long puffy jacket with a wintery hat pulled over his ears, scarf wrapped around his neck. But he'd left it open, exposing a Waldo-style long sleeve shirt underneath a hideous green puffy cardigan.

"No matter what he says, he's royalty. His father holds court on his planet – _his_ brother runs the show. So he grew up having his life planned out for him, down to the minute. That's just how it is, over there. It's quite intricate, really. Most of us have animal instincts – we're predators mixed with prey, and sometimes, if we're not under control, people like us, we tend to pick up on certain things and will attack."

"Savage."

"I guess. Which made it tough for me, because I have the instinct to fight all the time. Kill. Most of us predators were used for Doflamingo's armies, and I didn't agree to being told what to do, all the time," Zoro said. "We're all micro-managed to live peacefully. So, even for us outside of the caste, we're ruled to how to live, when to eat, how to die. Imagine that for someone like him, who was groomed to follow orders to a 't' and feel a certain way towards life because he was expected to 'follow', and not live."

Sanji could imagine it. Jajji had planned their marriages, their roles and had made it clear that they were to follow it all down to a 't'. Except for his. He could recall the disappointment he felt when he realized he no longer had a role in Jajji's plans. He said nothing about it, though, acknowledging Zoro with a nod.

"So when he showed up here, he basically had to undo all his learned behaviors to fit in with us. Sort of like you. But one thing that he couldn't let go of was this weak ass notion that he shouldn't, or couldn't fight for anything. Like a pansy."

"It seems that way."

"Because he's always had things either given to him, or it was easier following a directive. I don't know. It pisses me off. Add to that, we're felines, so both of us will always have that aggression happening because of…whatever. It's just instinctive."

"So, you creature of instinct. You follow what you feel," Sanji said curiously.

"I guess so. No reason not to," Zoro grumbled.

"But he only follows tradition. Ignores his instinct."

"Sort of. I see it here and there in him, he comes out with something surprising, but I wish he were a little more decisive. Make his own way. This thing with returning home is just bullshit. I don't agree with it."

"Me, either," Sanji said, taking an alleyway. He could hear the sounds of the construction site ahead, and his heart did a nervous pitter-patter in anticipation. He couldn't wait to catch a glimpse of that worker's face, to see him smile back.

"Like, his people rejected him. Why bother running back into it?" Zoro complained, gloved hands going to the top of his head, settling behind his ears. "That disease that killed most of us, it was dangerous, yes. Contagious, no cure. Doflamingo ordered for anybody having it to be burned, like they were nothing but firewood. Yeah, I get the fear, but to murder people without hesitation? That was his ruling."

"And Law survived."

"Only because of the devil fruit. So I don't get why Doflamingo just let him go without influencing his own empire into ignoring the fact that Law isn't contagious – this whole thing is stupid, and I think he was cast out for an entirely different reason. But he looks at those two like they're gods, and I don't agree to that, either. Okay, _yes_ , I get why he would think of Corazon affectionately if Corazon is indeed his father, but I don't know how a crow and a cat could have that sort of relationship. I think he mentioned he was adopted, which would explain the casting out," Zoro went on, glaring at the streets while Sanji schooled his features to show a lack of interest at the building under construction.

He surveyed the men working on the framework, at the ones working at the base, at those operating the heavy machinery. Looking for that one in particular.

"But I'm pushing him to fight more for what he wants. It doesn't seem like it's working. Now he just sees me as a rival – he just needs something to focus on, to really feel for something…"

Sanji caught sight of the man he liked looking at. He was standing near some trucks, holding a cup in both hands. He was tall, a foreigner with gently arched eyebrows and a strong chin. He had thick brown hair and narrow eyes, and Sanji felt his cheeks flush at the sight of him. Covered in thick overalls with neon yellow striping, he looked to be listening to a couple of guys nearby talking, one of them with a handheld radio out.

He slowed his step just outside the safety fence, Zoro walking past him, still complaining. Now that he was out of Zoro's sight but right behind him, Sanji watched the tall man sip at his drink. When Zoro looked back to see if he were still listening, Sanji looked at him with question, signaling that he understood.

"I thought he'd be a little more decisive being on his own, but he's still just a step behind…"

As if somehow alerted, the construction worker looked right over at them. Sanji quickly looked away, shyness hunching his shoulders momentarily – a little guilty that he was caught, guilty for feeling this way, guilty for being obvious. But he glanced over, and caught sight of the man smiling cheerfully in his direction, eyes locked on his. Sanji couldn't help but smile back, feeling the flutter in his chest, of nervousness and desire.

"Hey, wait a minute - ! When did this place pop up?" Zoro exclaimed, looking at the signs posted along the fence line, then looking back at Sanji with a start. Sanji looked at him, erasing the smile quickly. "Are you…blushing?"

"It's _cold_ , you asshole! It's cold!"

"You sneaky little furling."

"What's that?"

"Law was right about you. Let's go this way, you don't know what these guys are capable of," Zoro snapped at him, pointing across the street. Sanji went along with him, more startled by what he said than being forced away from the site like he was a child.

"What he say about me? That bastard!"

Zoro looked back over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at the guys that were working on the building. He didn't see any of them looking back after them, which made him feel better. He was pretty sure if he caught one of them looking, he would have to say something. The fact that Sanji was looking at them made him feel funny – like he was doing something that should be corrected immediately. He felt that Sanji was too open and eager to experience things that he took risks that a man their age normally wouldn't – being without human contact had left him susceptible to predators looking for easy prey.

And construction workers were the worst, he decided.

An hour later, he added grocery workers, teens that made fun of them, gas station workers, and men with animals to the list. Sanji couldn't resist petting anything with fur that came his way, and the animal owners were too yappy. Those guys at the meat market and the ones tending to the vegetable aisles were only too free with their overly friendly comments, and the teens only shouted at them because they were foreigners that stood out.

By the time they made it back, Zeff kicked them both for taking their sweet ass time, and Zoro needed a beer. He sat at the table while Sanji cut up the vegetables and prepared some broth for soup.

"So, do you like it here, kid?" Zoro asked.

"Earth is beautiful place. So much to see," Sanji said. "Stop calling me 'kid'."

"It is nice. So, what do you plan on doing with your future? Think you'll go back for revenge?"

Sanji looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Revenge?"

"For what your scumbag family did to you."

Sanji looked back at the cutting board, and then stirred the broth. "I…never once thought about revenge."

"Why not?"

"For one…I'm not strong enough, mentally or physically to do so. Running in right now would be suicide. After all those years spent underground, why fuck it up so? In future, something will come to me. But it's not at forefront of mind. While aware that they out there, I have yet to come up with something that is…acceptable."

"Or, will you let it go?"

"Why let it go?" Sanji asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I never forget. But at time, I find it pointless to dwell when there are other things I could be experiencing. More fun here, then dwell in memory."

Zoro frowned at him. "I'd be focused on getting myself stronger. You don't appear to be doing that. You're content just following orders as a kitchen maid. Or Nami's best friend. Petting dogs on the street. How is that preparing you for anything?"

" _Idiot_. Behind strength, you have to find motivation, right? When you fight, what is forefront of mind?"

"Duh. Killing."

"With brute strength, _you_ can. But how sloppy. With mine, I think of ways that cause…hm, not only cut down person in front of me, but also how to cut down the army in front of him. But at moment, I think only of my weakness. I fear _them_ as stronger, and am not capable of carrying myself. How can I fight what I fear when I _still_ fear them? They still control my mind and spirit, but with each day away, I grow stronger. I see these things, I experience this, and it _makes_ me strong. So that when time comes, I no longer fear them, but fear what I have to lose. Running in right now, _stupid_. Take time to consider, Dumb Ass. Shit."

Zoro stared at him, blinking owlishly. He ran Sanji's words over his thoughts, working on his beer. He was astounded at the logic behind it, but it made perfect sense. He looked back at his beer, unable to come up with anything at that moment. So he managed a nod, smiling slightly.

"Guess I can't call you 'kid', anymore," he decided.

: :

Law looked over the packaging slip to make sure they were delivering to the right location, to leave the crate with the right people, Nami standing next to him. Her blue appearance caused the green skinned lizard a look of disgust as he looked her over. They were parked outside a spinning station that negotiated an asteroid belt, a post used only by those that couldn't legally access a space post. Of course, Nami was pissed that she'd been deceived, realizing that the station was of ill-repute. Then again, she couldn't let go of the credits that were being transferred to her account.

The two lizardmen standing in front of them were slim, dressed in worn battle armor. One had several scars over his features, the other looked blind in one eye. Their ship behind them was a fighter, not made for long distance travel. There was another lizard standing on the ramp, looking to receive the crate that they'd picked up from a recognized space post near the legal gates of the West Blue.

"You lack modesty?" the lizard asked, a trace of ice to his tone. "Do you not respect yourself as a woman?"

"I do," Nami murmured, looking over the credits being transferred to their account as Bepo and Brook unloaded the crate from _Merry Go_. "That's why I show off nearly every inch, because why hold back what I am as a woman? Screw the repression of men too intimidated by a woman's strength in her form. If you don't like it, don't look at me."

The lizard's companion looked eager to say something, moving from one foot to the other, but one look from the lizard caused him to stop. Law's ears flicked as he looked at him, nose twitching. He had the sense that something was wrong with the picture, but maybe it was only because the two gaped at Nami so obviously, looked at her with reproach. Not that she was in any danger – but he couldn't help but feel that he was in some sort of trouble.

He blamed his own anxieties for this over-perception of danger. He wished he could stop being so jumpy.

The lizard looked at him, his eyes slightly hooded. "You look familiar."

"Not really," Law said, handing him the copy of the receipt. The lizard took it without looking at it – crumbled it within one hand and stuffed it behind his chest armor. "You've mistaken me for someone else."

"You're creepy," Nami stated, frowning at the lizard. "What's it to you?"

The lizard narrowed his eyes at her, his partner once again dancing in place, eager to speak. He reached out and swatted the top of his head, saying, "I'm only making conversation. I apologize if it seems I'm crossing a line."

"Right. Well, there's your package. Have fun with it. We're done, here."

"Have a safe trip back. To Earth, right?"

Nami gave him a look, but the lizard only smiled in a condescending way, waving at them. She turned and followed after Law, muttering, " _Creepy_."

The pair watched the group load up in _Merry Go_ , and the lizard turned to his companion.

"Well?"

"Those are the ones! That's – they're totally the ones! That's them!"

"You're _sure_."

"Niji, goddamn it, I'm positive! That's _them_! I recognize that stupid ship, and there's no mistaking that cat! That's _them_!"

"You said that about the last group," the other lizard complained from nearby, emerging from their ship's ramp. "You were 'positive' until we engaged into combat with them on their home turf. That cat looked 'exactly' like this one. We should've dispatched of him, first."

"Dad told you not to kill every one of these guys until it was confirmed, Ichiji. We've already killed four of them – any more, people start questioning!"

"I just hate teleporters. Better to be safe than sorry."

"Look, it's different, this one's – I don't know, he just, _trust_ me you guys, it's him! I'm absolutely positive! That ship's a dead giveaway! It has that stupid logo!"

"The last catman wasn't marked like this one," the lizard said, watching _Merry Go_ pull away from the station platform. "Your pictures did not capture those scars."

One lizard pressed up against the other, the other shoving him with a growl. "I _so_ apologize for our crude technology."

"Shut up, Yonji, I swear - !"

"Quit making me sound like I'm not doing things right, then!"

"Let's go, let's follow them. See where this stupid planet is. Calm belt…pisses me off. There's nothing out there. I'll be stuck talking to myself for fucking entertainment."

"Niji, you're so…"

"You too, Ichiji?"

"I can't wait to get this over with. I'm sick of looking at you guys."

" _Shut up, Yonji_! This is your fault in the first place!"


	17. The Talk

**A/N: Got up early to write this.**

 **Guest: it suits them very well! Nami sees the light in some things – mainly for herself lol**

 **TomTom: This chapter will probably show what will happen if Sanji invades Zoro's space!**

 **Moony-F: his jealousy gets a little more intense, and Sanji and Zoro have a bit more 'conversation' here….the vinsmokes are definitely on their way**

 **17: The Talk**

Sanji watched the game show with a bored look. All of them were crowded in the apartment that Luffy shared with Nami, watching the television set for that night's karaoke –dare mix, and he wasn't interested. Zeff stared at the screen with an expression of disapproval, but Carne was getting into it, laughing along with Luffy and Nami, and Zoro had fallen asleep some time earlier. Sanji wanted to be somewhere else, but Zeff had insisted he come down and 'behave like men his age', and watch the show. But it looked as if he weren't that interested, either, minutes from falling asleep.

Sanji looked down on the floor to Zoro, who'd somehow fallen asleep with one hand propping his face up. As one contestant sang off key while trying to jump from fence post to fence post with what looked like a knight giving chase with a foam sword, Sanji sank down from the couch to sit behind Zoro. He reached out and lightly touched the black and green fur/hair that spread out over the back of his neck, down to his shoulders. When Zoro didn't respond, Sanji attuned himself to the man's breathing pattern, scraping his fingertips down to the skin for an even scratch. He watched the man's tail tip lift and fall with warning, and continued scratching through the spread of hair, down to the collar. It amused him that these men were so domesticated, similar to the animals he happened upon outside.

Zoro was harder to judge, considering that a bump in the shoulder in a crowded market caused him to complain, but if someone looked right at him while they did it, then the vibe changed completely. Unlike Law's, who moved in such a way that he avoided contact no matter what, keeping close to himself with teeth baring in warning if someone happened too close. Which gave Brook's worry weight, because that growl did sound mean, sometimes.

Sanji felt the shift in breathing, feeling that Zoro was starting to become aware of his touching. He continued to scratch, though, finding comfort in it himself as he leaned over the man's shoulder to frown at the television set, watching as the contestant outran a man dressed as a shark over several kiddie pools, still singing. The announcer duo was going wild, cheering and hollering, and the guys started to pick up on it, too. Zeff was asleep with his arms crossed, and Sanji guessed that he'd be snoring, soon.

Then Sanji heard it – the rumble of feline satisfaction, coming from somewhere in Zoro's chest. But it was heavier than Law's; thicker, and louder. He was amused as he scratched at the back of his neck, then moved down his spine with a firm scrape. The man wasn't snoring, but he wasn't fully awake, either. His tail kept hitting the floor with solid thumps, but Sanji was more entertained by the sounds he was making than the warning signs Zoro was emitting, leaning over him to see if he were waking up, yet.

"Is _he_ making that noise?" Carne asked, wearing a bewildered look, Luffy looking over with widened eyes, Nami pausing in mid-chew of her popcorn.

"Yes."

"I have never heard him make that noise, before," Luffy said with a snicker, leaning over Nami to see for himself. "He's going to kill you."

"Law makes it, I wanted to see if Zoro did, too."

Both of them looked at him again, Carne lifting an eyebrow.

"Law… _purrs_?" Nami repeated incredulously. "That big Mangy Cat, _he_ purrs when you're…doing this to him?"

 _Oops_ , Sanji thought, pausing in mid-scratch. "Not…exactly."

"Because I don't see you guys talk at all. EVER, since you settled in."

"What's that noise?" Zeff asked, waking up sharply.

At that same moment, Zoro woke up, purring stopped. Then he jerked his head around to see Sanji leaning over him, feeling his hand on his back. He growled, face turning red as Sanji looked at him with alarm.

"Are you _petting_ me?" he asked in outrage.

"You really liked it, Zoro!" Luffy laughed, ears flicking. "You were purring and everything!"

" _Don't be petting me_!" Zoro howled, sitting up, knocking Sanji to the side. Sanji only laughed at him, Zoro reaching over for one of Nami's girly magazines on the nearby coffee table. He rolled it up with a continuous growling noise, face and ears red. "And I don't _purr_! For fuck's sake!"

"That's a lie, because we were just listening to it," Nami said with a chuckle. "Like a big motorboat!"

"Bad! _Bad_! No more!" Zoro snarled, hitting Sanji with the magazine. " _Naughty_!"

"Don't hit me with that!"

"Hands to yourself, furling!"

Luffy laughed again. "'Furling'!"

"I think it's appropriate," Nami murmured, watching tv again.

Sanji snatched the magazine away from him and tossed it away before getting a leg between them and kicking him back to create space. Huffing, he said, "I just wanted to see if he did it…"

Zoro then leaned over and bit him with a snarl. Sanji shouted out loud, then clutched his arm with outrage as the sting registered.

"No more touching!" Zoro growled at him. "Don't do that again."

Sanji kicked him in the face, rubbing his arm as Zoro caught himself again, looking outraged as his face turned color. "I got it the first time! No need to bite, ass! What are you, five?"

"Listen here, you, I'm not taking it easy. You're the type to have to learn the hard way," Zoro said, sitting back up, crossing his arms.

"You left your teeth marks on my fucking arm!"

"That's what you get for _petting_ me!"

Sanji thought about it for a moment, then realized it was probably wrong of him to do so. But he leaned over and bit him back, causing him to yelp and pull away, clutching his arm.

" _Now_ , we're even," he said.

"That's not _even_! What's 'even' is you not touching me in the first place!"

"Fine! Come here, then."

" _NO_!"

"Come here, let me give you massage."

"…Okay, cool."

Nami rolled her eyes as Luffy chuckled as he watched them reposition themselves. Zeff just looked at them with disapproval, Carne more interested in the tv than what was happening next to them. Holding his tail in front of him, Zoro sat in front of Sanji, who reached for the back of his neck, starting from there, then moving to his shoulders.

They all watched television for some time, until the noise started up again. Zoro shrugged as they looked at him. "Whatever, it's a massage."

"You're so stupid," Sanji told him, unsure of what the difference was between a massage and a scratch.

"Okay, time for old men to go to bed," Zeff decided. "Sanji, half an hour. Then come to bed. Night, to all of you."

After the two men headed for their apartment, Nami chuckled. "I think it's so cute how he has you on a schedule, Sanji."

"Sometimes, it's insulting," Sanji muttered. "I am man, why do I have a bedtime?"

" _Right_? Men don't have bedtimes, we go to bed when we're tired," Zoro said with a yawn.

"Exactly! I go to sleep when _I'm_ ready, not when it's time."

"I'm just saying…it's good for you. You guys have been a huge help," Nami said. "We've been eating so good that I feel I've gained a few pounds."

"Where?" Luffy asked her curiously.

Nami reached out and hugged him tightly, his tail wagging curiously as she smothered the side of his face with kisses. "You're so sweet and cute!"

"Oh, Nami, you're perfect the way you are, now!"

Sanji reached around, massaging Zoro's jawline, underneath his ears, moving up to his temple. To do this, though, Zoro was laying against his chest. He grumbled over the position, but then flattened his hands over his stomach, relaxing all his weight back on Sanji.

He then looked back at him with a complaint. "You're all bones!"

"Hush. Here," Sanji said, covering his mouth with one hand, and then reaching for a throw pillow with the other. Zoro bit his hand, then gnawed on it with a growl as Sanji pushed him and settled the pillow between them. Then pulled his head back and wiped his saliva over his face before resuming the massage.

Zoro wiped his face and then leaned back. He hated to admit it, but the massage felt good – all the knots in his neck and shoulders were gone, and the rough treatment around his temples, his jaw, felt pretty amazing as well. He could feel himself relaxing against the pillow, his weight released, shoulders back. He could feel himself start to purr again, but he changed it to growling instead, flustered at the treatment.

"You big softie," Luffy said with a laugh, extending his foot to push Zoro with it.

"This doesn't leave the room," Zoro warned, still growling as Sanji's fingers moved over his scalp, behind the ears. He leaned back into the movement, feeling his mouth twitch, his tail moving with content. He had the reaction to bite the man for doing this to him, but he also wanted more of it, shifting uncomfortably as his ear flaps were rubbed and the bases scratched. That made his eyes twitch, teeth bared as the urge to purr started to grow again. So he growled noisily instead, face red.

"Shut up! I can't hear this!" Nami snapped at him, turning up the volume.

" _I can't help it_!"

"Then stop petting him, Sanji!"

"No, get my back, first. Along my spine."

"I feel like we should ask that you get a room of your own," Nami said cautiously, looking over as Sanji pushed his knuckles into the tense muscles of Zoro's back, along his spine. Zoro kept growling and snarling, tail slapping the floor, like he wasn't sure if it hurt or felt good. From the way he kept arching, Nami supposed it was doing him some good.

"Zoro doesn't know what he wants," Luffy decided, chuckling as he laid his head into Nami's lap, her fingers moving through his hair to scratch his scalp. His tail wagged eagerly, thumping against the cushions.

Finally, Zoro reached out and grabbed Sanji's arm, biting it, but not letting go.

"Stupid cat! _Ow_!"

"I'm not hurting you! I'm not biting that hard! Put some meat on this thing!"

"Then what are you doing?"

"I don't know! I just _know_ I need to bite you! Keep working those muscles with your other hand."

"Zoro, you're a nut," Nami commented, wondering if Sanji was really okay as the tiger drew his teeth over his forearm, still growling. But then she felt disgusted, her expression matching Sanji's as Zoro gnawed on it enough to leave faint impressions, but also spit that glowed in the tv light.

"Tigers are finicky creatures. You should've been born a dog," Luffy told him, stretching out a foot to tickle his nose with one big toe. "Then you know exactly what you want."

Zoro spit Sanji's arm out of his mouth with a flustered expression. "Look, I'm a big fucking cat – I'm wild. I am _barely_ domesticated. No one touches me unless I let them, and only in preferred spurts of acceptable contact. This feels good, but at the same time, I know how crazy it looks, so my dignity feels fragile. I want to maul, but I know I can't. It's a crazy conundrum, alright? Back off!"

"Take this back," Sanji said, wiping Zoro's spit back onto his face, making him growl in reaction. He reached back and pushed Sanji away, but Sanji kicked him in reaction so Zoro turned to face him with a warning sound, tail snapping.

"Don't fight in here!" Nami snapped at them.

Luffy laughed as Sanji kept his foot up to kick, Zoro considering his next move. "You guys are funny."

"Stop. I just did you a favor," Sanji warned him.

"I know, that's why I'm considering it!"

Sanji placed a bare foot to Zoro's face, grinding his heel against his cheekbone. "Then consider it to yourself! Don't look at me like that!"

"Say it, don't invite it!" Zoro snapped, tossing his leg aside and then pouncing. Sanji scrambled to get out, kicking and pushing as Zoro used his brutish strength to pull him away from the couch. Luffy scrambled over to look, seeing that Zoro was only biting him lightly, Sanji screaming out with outrage, pushing at his face.

"You guys, _stop it_! Goddamn it, you stupid tiger! You're always doing this! I can't hear a fucking word!" Nami shouted at them, hitting the couch impatiently. "Stupid animals! Stop it! Sanji, stop screaming, maybe he'll stop."

"Hey! _Hey_! Hey!" Luffy shouted, growing excited, standing at the end of the couch, alternating between crouching and standing, wiggling about with excitement.

"Quit licking me! Your spit stinks! _Stop_!"

"Fight me back, damn it!"

"Hey! _Hey_! Guys! Hey! Ha ha! Get him! Get him, Sanji! Don't be afraid, _get him_!"

Sanji was annoyed at how strong the tiger was, feeling his teeth grasp over his collarbone – giving him certain fear in that he could crush it with just a firm clamp. But at the same time, he recognized that Zoro was being gentle with him – which was both a relief and insulting at the same time. He scrambled to get his leg into position to kick, but the brute was on outside side control, pinning one arm to the floor. He yanked his ears, managing to get Zoro from his collarbone to bite him on the cheek. Zoro yelled out and placed a hand over his face, Sanji taking the opportunity to bite that as well before Zoro licked him over his eyes, causing him to scream with dismay.

"Hey! Ha ha! Get him! You can do it! Get him! Don't let him do that to you!" Luffy shouted, jumping over them, practically racing around them in circles. "EW! _Zoro germs_! Ha ha!"

Nami cried out with frustration, unable to hear the tv over Zoro's loud growling, Luffy's barking, and Sanji's angry shouts. She looked over to throw the remote at them when she saw the movement from the doorway, and she realized she was watching Law rush in, growling furiously. She knew that wasn't a playful or warning sound, sitting up with a frantic expression as Law grabbed Zoro off Sanji and shoved him away to clear the man's proximity, then was on him, ready to bite before Zoro could get his hands up to protect his throat, shoving him away violently. Luffy quickly forced himself between them, limbs extending to keep them separated, giving frantic barks to get their attention. Zoro was back up on his feet instantly, wearing a predatory expression as they lunged close to each other with hands outstretched on each other's clothes, Luffy squished between them with a panicked look, hands and fingers wrapping around their faces just to keep teeth off each other. Nami screamed with fright because she thought men were going to be mauled right in front of her. Bepo raced in and caught Zoro, and everyone was shouting and screaming to be heard.

She raced in to be heard, Luffy quickly shielding her with his body with a panicked look. She shouted, "It's okay! It's _okay_! They were just playing! Everyone was _just playing_!"

Sanji pulled her away as both men composed themselves with effort, Luffy looking nervously from one to the other as Bepo tried not to cry, holding onto Zoro with both arms. Watching each other to make sure the other was standing down, both catmen started to relax, fur slowly lowering, eyes returning to normal. Bepo relaxed with a relieved noise, Luffy's tail wagging slightly as he stayed between them, just in case, looking at each one with a studious expression.

Zoro's expression relaxed, then he crossed his arms, looking smug while Law started to look embarrassed, relaxing his shoulders and looking guilty. Nami looked from one to the other, then touched her mouth with understanding.

"Sorry," Law mumbled.

"No problem," Zoro said lightly. "Good to see you have it in you."

With a low growl, Law turned and walked out of there while the others looked around with awkward confusion, not understanding what had just happened.

Nami reached out and slapped both Sanji's and Zoro's heads for the trouble they caused. "Next time, _think_ about what you're doing! And you! Work on your damn instincts!"

" _Ow_!"

"Sorry," Sanji apologized to her, rubbing his head painfully.

"Hey, we're back," Bepo said pointlessly.

"Welcome back!" Nami said cheerfully. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you guys touched down! We could've greeted you at the door!"

"Brook was paranoid," Bepo said, pointing at the skeleton that walked in, holding a steaming cup of tea. "He thought we were being followed. Then his nervousness made _Law_ nervous, which made _me_ nervous, and so we were heavy on the pedal."

"Those lizards were creepy," Nami agreed, pushing her hair out of her face as she sat back down, pulling her knees to her chest. "They were too tense and attentive."

"Like they were going to jack _Merry_ from you guys?" Luffy asked, joining her on the couch, pushing his head towards her for some affection. "Or couldn't they handle all this woman in front of them?"

"It was both," she said truthfully. "Total disrespect of my form, and he kept looking at Law like he knew him. The other one wanted to say something, but he was kept from doing so. All three of them were creepy. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they followed you guys home."

"We'll just beat them up, no prob."

"They from our world?" Zoro asked curiously. "Maybe they're the reason why he's so damn twitchy."

"No, they were…definitely nothing I recognized. They looked like a bunch of thugs, no-gooders. Whatever we transported to them had to be something illegal. I hope we don't get busted for it," Nami grumbled.

"You think they maybe had something to do with Sanji?" Bepo asked with concern. "Because who knows what kind of feelers those Germa people sent out."

"Probably," Nami said slowly. "Low key feelers – they were probably identifying _Merry_ and you – that's probably why they specified you two. Oh my god…"

"Look, we don't know that for sure," Luffy said. "But that doesn't mean we should relax. Who cares if they were looking? We'll just handle it. Not like they can outright do anything, right, Sanji?"

Sanji shook his head to agree with him. "Not if they wanted it known that I'm still here. But to pinpoint where I am…yes."

"Don't worry about it, okay? We'll be fine," Luffy assured him. "As long as we're in the middle of town, they wouldn't just set down and lay siege just to get at you. I mean, think about it – they wanted him secret all this time, they're not going to make a big show of it."

"You're right," Nami murmured, looking worried. "I'm going to up our security on both ships, and this place. No one leave it alone. Sanji, no more leaving this place on your own until we're sure it's okay. Sorry, buddy, I know how you like wandering off by yourself for some fresh air."

"It's…no problem. You've all done so much for me, I…" Sanji trailed off, looking guilty as he fiddled with his fingers. Then he turned and left the room without saying anything more, causing Nami to look after him with a concerned frown.

"Do you think he's scared?"

"I think he's nervous, but only for us," Luffy said. "Those guys still scare him. We're just going to have to prove to him that we'll be okay."

"Guess he couldn't relax for that long. It was only wishful thinking," Nami commented, a little sadly.

"Don't go soft on him, he doesn't appreciate it," Zoro said, wiping off his shirt and pants. "Treat him like one of us."

"Says the guy that called him 'kid' for most of this time!"

"Look, I know I'm a tough nut, but it's for a reason. If he can survive all that time off nothing, then treat him with the admiration and respect that it calls for. I'm going to bed. I'm worn out."

"That was a really weird fight, Zoro," Luffy said with concern. "I thought for sure this time was going to be the last time."

"So did I. Well…guess I know what to do if I want to inspire the killer instinct in him. _Hah_!"

"He was this close to dying, and he only laughs," Bepo said with a wheeze, hand to his chest.

"Maybe it was just really upsetting for Law to see that, but Sanji wasn't in any danger. Zoro was just licking him and biting him playfully. It wasn't anything savage," Luffy said, looking at Nami with concern.

She reached out and patted his head. "Ah, you're so cute when you're so brainless! If you can't see it in front of you, you won't ever! I think it's sweet."

"Now, I'm really confused."

"So am I," Bepo said.

"I'm not!" Brook said, wandering off with a cheery laugh.

"I just hope he knows what he's getting into," Nami muttered, rubbing the top of Luffy's head.

: :

When Sanji drifted into Law's room later that night, Law was relieved that he did. Then embarrassed for his earlier behavior. He had been sitting there in the dark, anxiously going over everything he was going to say, and to apologize for the misunderstanding earlier. Trying to drum up the courage to even _think_ of himself as important in Sanji's world.

"It's good thing you come along," Sanji said to him, feeling his way through the darkness towards him, using the faint light from the window to do so. Law realized that Sanji didn't have his nighttime vision, and stood up quickly to open the blinds of the window to let the light from outside come in so that he could see. "I could not get that fat tiger off me."

Law felt the bristle of his fur, the snap of his tail as he heard that. "You smell like him."

"I washed."

"His saliva is all over you." Law stared down at his hands for a few moments, listening to him drop his pillow on the futon, arrange it just so, then inserted his blanket underneath the comforter. "Sanji. I don't like it."

"What, me sleeping with you?" Sanji asked, hesitating as he made to crouch. He stood quickly, holding his breath as he strained to see the catman's face to read his current thinking, but with Law's back to him, he could not read him at all. He steeled himself for rejection. Stubbornly, he said, "But I already decided that I will do this to make you stay."

"No. I meant…I don't like the _smell_ of him on you," Law clarified himself. He was nervous to turn around and see Sanji's expression at that moment. But he wouldn't take back what he said.

Sanji blinked, then tried to smell himself, but after washing his arms and face in the sink, he didn't understand how he could still smell of the other catman. "But I'm clean."

With much effort, Law turned to look at him. He could see that Sanji looked confused at his statement. A feeling of weight moved only slightly from his lungs, and he gestured at him to sit down. Sanji did so with a puzzled look, and it took a few moments for Law to actually reach out and touch him. Sanji tensed slightly under his sharp gaze. When Law frowned at him, smelling Zoro's spit on his face, he frowned back.

"Sanji. Smelling others' scent on you makes me…angry."

" _Why_?" Sanji asked on a panicky tone. "I pet animals outside, you don't care."

"I meant…other…ahem, man animals. It's…it's uh….it makes me…jealous," Law said with discomfort, his lips tightening.

Sanji looked at him with astonishment. He drew back with a shocked look. "Over _me_?"

"…Yes."

Sanji found it hard to breathe, his heart thunderously noisily, making it difficult for him to think. "But that means you think of me with…value."

"I do," Law muttered gruffly, nervous about it.

Sanji didn't say anything, feeling so much joy in the confession that it seemed to make him glow, but he was afraid to express it, just in case it was all a mistake. He looked at Law with careful consideration, looking for any sign of deception. He didn't feel that Law treated him differently; he barely accepted Sanji's affections. So the excitement died pretty quick after he considered his position. Law could mean different things with that expression – he could mean he cared about Sanji with a brotherly affection, with a friendly affection, with just basic _territory_.

So he asked carefully, "In what way?"

Law felt his hairline sweat. He formed a slight 'o' with his lips, thinking about that question. He liked his smell, he liked when Sanji had looked at him with all the trust in the world, and he liked the way Sanji considered his words carefully. He liked that Sanji made direct eye contact with him when they were talking, and he liked seeing Sanji smile. He liked his laugh, but he also respected Sanji's ability to sit back and think of a bigger picture than the others' impulse to run at instinct. He liked that he asked questions. He liked that he felt comfortable enough to talk to Sanji without fear of being mocked or teased, and he liked that Sanji trusted him with the same. He also marveled at the way Sanji's body had changed with a proper diet, and found himself looking at certain aspects of him with considerable appreciation. He liked the slight curls at the back of his neck, and the delicate lobes of his ears. He also liked the delicate part of his throat just between his collarbone. He liked the way Sanji's shirts sometimes revealed parts of his shoulders, and how he filled out his pants.

But then he thought of the doctor/patient quandary, and wondered just how inappropriate it would be to say all these things when Sanji most likely relied on him for Zeff, for his own health. He thought of the fox that took his money and ran. He thought about how he was half cat and Sanji all human. While it worked for Nami and Luffy – something he didn't want to think about – he himself hadn't had any experience with humans. He'd never given thought to it. But now…Sanji made him realize how long it had been since he'd last had _any_.

Sanji frowned at him, seeing that Law was thinking intensely about the answer. It straight out irritated him that Law would have to _think_ about it when he'd already acted, and it made him feel that if he had to think about his feelings for Sanji, then Sanji felt that Law felt for him in a way that wasn't receptive to his feelings.

Sanji then muttered, "Never mind, if you have to think so hard about it."

Law looked back at him, fretting over what his reaction was causing the other man. "Look, it's difficult for me to talk about my feelings, alright?"

"It's not that hard to say, 'I like you, and this is why'," Sanji said. "But if you have to think about it, then you second guess yourself why. And I don't…want to hear a pretty rejection."

Law understood what he was saying. "I apologize for causing that sort of stress. But if I spoke my feelings, I understand there would be consequences and reactions to them. Therefore, I hesitate."

"Then there's no need for you to speak of 'jealousy' when you don't even understand yourself."

Law grit his teeth, seeing how cold Sanji had grown. That posture was back up, his expression of steel giving away nothing. The room seemed to have dropped temperature by several degrees, causing him to grimace.

"I don't know how to do this, okay?" he said tightly. "Having…emotions, affections for anyone was discouraged and rare where I'm from, I can't just…blurt out everything comfortably that you guys can."

"Being someone that has only faced the hate and dislike of family members, I can still find risk to tell someone mine, even if they don't agree. I have let you know what I feel – if you do not feel similar, please let me know _now_. I will return to my room and no longer humiliate myself attempting to seduce you."

Law stared at him, blinking with panic. Feeling pressured, he said with a slight stumble, "I…find you…pleasing."

" 'Pleasing'?" Sanji questioned, lifting an eyebrow. "Like choice cut of meat? Or brother?"

"In…every way that I shouldn't," Law answered slowly, feeling sweaty.

Sanji stood up, fingers balled into fists before he relaxed them. "Because it's wrong? Because liking me is wrong? Because _I'm_ wrong?"

" _No_ \- ! No, just…"

"Because you think of me as child? I locked away when I was eight – don't mean that I'm _still_ eight!"

"It feels wrong because I know that, and I know – I feel I'm taking advantage of someone who can't think on a similar level!"

" _Insulting_ ," Sanji muttered darkly, flushing. "So, all this time, because I don't know up to your level, you think of me as child. As Zoro had."

"Not…look, I'm trying to explain myself! I'm having a hard time with it, okay? I'm sorry if it comes off that way, I just - !"

"It's fine. You only insult further by making excuses. I go to my own room. I apologize for making you uncomfortable."

Sanji walked around him and left the apartment in stony silence, and Law sat there, feeling incredibly torn. Hating that he couldn't speak up despite his hesitation, that his anxieties only created more conflict, that he felt lost for not having the right answer. He could hear Zoro berating him for not making his own decision and sticking with it, and he took a deep breath and created a Room. He looked around himself quickly and reached over to grab the Christmas gift that still sat on the floor near his futon. Moments later, Sanji replaced the book he'd gifted Law, a startled expression on his face.

"I wasn't done," Law said firmly, Sanji looking around himself with confusion before looking at him. "I feel everything for you that might have me kicked out of here. I fear being banished again, and this is why I have conflict with my feelings for you. Because of how we all perceive you, I feel the others will dislike me for what I want out of you. That's why I hesitate."

Sanji looked at him, considering his words. He said, "But I'm not a child."

"I know you're not. But the others feel affectionately of you as so."

"You do, too."

"The things you do, yes, I can't help but think of you as such." He reached out and grabbed Sanji's ankle before he could walk away again, pulling him off balance. But Sanji caught himself, and once he did, Law pulled him down to sit, holding firmly onto his belt loops. Looking into Sanji's slightly frowning face, he said quietly, "It bothers me when you ignore me."

"I don't want to be treated as a child," Sanji said low. "That part of my life is over with."

With a heavy sound, Law pulled him close, and Sanji tensed, unsure of the sudden tension, his hands up on his shoulders just in case. Once he realized Sanji's defensive action, Law reached between them to clasp his chin, saying firmly, "I understand that. It's hard to forget that when you let yourself go unguarded."

"Then start treating me like an adult," Sanji said tightly, frowning at him.

Law took in that stubborn expression, looking at the strength of his cheekbones, the line of his jawline. How was it that Sanji's near identical brothers didn't look this luminous? He released his chin, saying, "All of us are adults, but who really acts like it?"

"You know what I mean."

For several moments, Law's eyes ran over Sanji's features, lingering over the blonde's stubborn mouth. He'd noticed some time ago that the corners were tight little dimples, and that his nose was straight and a little wide near his eyes. That the dashes of his eyebrows were littered with gold hairs, giving them depth over rounded eyes, surrounded by gold lashes.

All he could think of at that moment was how deranged it was for a grown man to try and destroy such an expressive and spirited child; was Sanji's mother just like him, defiant and stubborn?

At that moment, Sanji's features softened, loosened from its hard will. Seeing the shift of expression was fascinating, and Law touched the color on his pale cheeks, heard the slight intake of breath as Sanji looked up at him.

"Why don't your words ever match your expression?" Sanji asked with frustration, voice trembling slightly. "You look at me one way, then talk to me another."

"I – "

"You make me so _mad_."

"You don't show it."

Sanji looked away from him, glaring at the darkness, but he didn't move away from Law's touch. Law saw him close his eyes as he felt Law's fingers over his jawline, moving down over his neck. Law could feel his pulse moving swiftly, and he caught the change in Sanji's scent. It made him draw in closer, to press his nose against his temple. Sanji's skin smelled inviting and open, his fingers curling restlessly on Law's shoulders. His hair was soft, and smelled like vague traces of some woodsy scent – some manly shampoo.

His hands shifted from Law's shoulders, his fingertips capturing Law's jawline to draw him away from him. His eyes searched his for a few moments as his hands cupped his face, bumping his forehead against his. He said softly, "This is where you kiss me."

For a moment, Law didn't say anything. But he liked the way Sanji's fingers moved through his hair, and the way he looked right into him. He did like the thought of knowing that Sanji relied on him. The way Sanji spoke of him, he was looking for his companionship, for Law to be Law. There were other thoughts edging in at that moment, other worries, but he forced himself to breathe and focus on the warmth on the other man's body instead.

But even as his blood started to race, he could still smell Zoro on him, and it made his blood heat for another reason. His fingers curled into the material of Sanji's shirt, and he maneuvered him back first against the floor, pressing his face up against Sanji's neck. He smelled _him_ there, not Zoro, and he inhaled deeply, struggling to keep himself calm, to not react on need. He pushed his head up against his, Sanji giving a noise of consternation at the suddenly rough treatment, going tense.

"Look, Sanji," he said, slightly breathless as he reined in his control. "Just so you know, this isn't…I'm not trying to be aggressive, but I don't like his smell on you. It's making me…mad."

"Okay," Sanji said carefully, reaching between them to adjust himself because the way Law was holding onto him so possessively was making his body react. There was something about the way Law moved over him that made Sanji flush, that made it difficult to breathe, made him unsure of what to do now that he was seeing this side of Law. He wasn't sure what to think. "I could…take shower?"

"Fine. I'm sorry."

Sanji then added, "You can take shower with me."

Law looked at him with surprise, then shook his head. "Do you even realize what you're saying at all?"

"I just…selfish. I want to look at you," Sanji admitted, reaching out to place his hand over one of Law's thighs.

It made Law blush with how bold the other could be, and yet how innocent he came off. Which also scared him, feeling it odd that a man this age could be so clueless about the acts that he alluded to.

With a lick of his lips, he asked softly, "Just look?"

"Mm hmm." Sanji looked up at him shyly, reaching up to touch his bottom lip, tracing over it with a fingertip before dipping in to touch the moist backside of it. As Law watched, he brought that back to his mouth, tasting it. Law had to admit, he hadn't seen anything that erotic before, his entire body stiffening in reaction. "You have…an exquisite form. Like…like movie superhero. Or manga character. I wish I could look like you."

"Sanji. Do you even know what to do with another man?" Law asked him, leaning over to bump his forehead against his, reaching between them to lay his hand flat over his chest.

He heard Sanji's breath hitch, heard him swallow tightly before he said firmly, " _Yes_. I…look, and…"

"You don't have urges to do anything more…? Like touch?" This Law followed up with a swirl of his fingertip over where he could feel Sanji's hardening nipple underneath his shirt. Sanji's face flushed, and he suddenly grew flustered.

"Nothing…specific…should you be touching me there?" Sanji interrupted himself anxiously, reaching over to stop his fingers from circling his nipple.

"Doesn't it feel good?"

"Yes…"

"This is what couples do to each other. They touch. They touch specific places that feel good, to make each other feel good. So when you suggest things like joining you in the shower, things like this would happen," Law told him, pulling his hand out of his grasp and moving it over his stomach.

Sanji watched him fretfully as he absorbed the sensations he was experiencing. His abs flexed at the feel of Law's hand on them, and he bit his lip as he tried to decide if this felt 'all right.' He looked up at Law with total trust, watching those pupils slowly change. Most of the amber had disappeared, and he noticed that the man had gone completely tense, looking down at him with a predatory sort of expression. From the corner of his eye, he could see his tail slashing through the air – Law was wound up, and Sanji looked at him with sudden unease.

"Touch…naked? It…be okay," Sanji said slowly, feeling Law's hand move over his hip, move lower, just above his thigh. He gave a jolt at the feel of his thumb massaging that part of him, giving him tingles in his lower belly. He reached out to grab his wrist, but he didn't push him away.

"Not only would we would touch each other while naked, Sanji, there would be other things happening," Law told him, leaning over him. his thumb pressed a little harder, and Sanji winced – not at the pain, but the feelings that made his dick harden completely. Restlessly, he drew up his legs, exhaling shortly as he held onto that wrist. "The end result being a sore ass the next day."

Sanji looked at him with a frown, feeling himself tremble as Law's hand moved, inching towards the tent in his pants. As much as the idea thrilled him, he was a little lost to the things Law was saying to him. He licked his lips, then asked, "Zeff catch us?"

"… _What_?"

"Zeff catch us. Kick our asses. For being naked together in shower. Right? He kicks pretty hard. Only imagine that's why ass is sore."

Law sat back on his heels and put a hand over his mouth, feeling naïve for even thinking that Sanji would be capable of understanding what happened between two consenting adults if no one had explained that part to him, yet. Then he went through a few moments of backtracking, certain that he was doing this wrong. He was definitely taking advantage of someone. Like preying on a child. He was a _monster_ , a villain – no wonder he hadn't had any attraction to anybody, because his tastes were wicked, he was the ultimate pervert, a Virgin Hunter, a – what would people back home think of him, now? Corazon would be so disappointed – instead of matching him with a full grown fox, they should've matched him with a goddamn _furling_ -

Sanji looked at him with concern because it seemed like Law was having one of his anxiety fits again. He cleared his throat noisily to remind the catman that he was still there. Law somehow composed himself, sitting up.

"Someone's got to give you The Talk," Law said, looking reticent. "I'm surprised no one has after this long."

"Talk about what? And continue what you doing with your hands. At same time, you do both."

But it felt like he'd been doused with cold water. As much as he enjoyed the sight of a warm, willing body in front of him, Law honestly felt wretched for thinking he could do this. His anxiety came back, overwhelmed his thoughts, and Sanji saw this, giving a vague look of disappointment.

With a frown, he pushed himself to his feet. He then walked away without saying anything, which made Law fret over the possible things running through the other man's mind. He didn't want to discourage the man's curiosity for things in life, but he didn't want to encourage the _wrong_ sort of curiosity, either.

Once the bathroom door closed behind Sanji, Law sat there, thinking about what just transpired. On one hand, Sanji was right – he was a man. Maybe not 'grown', but he was definitely long past the age of consent. Of course he knew what his body wanted, what it was capable of, and he definitely wasn't shy with him. He _trusted_ him.

At the same time, Law felt he was betraying that trust. He _still_ felt like he was taking advantage of someone whose concept of 'sore asses' meant that someone had kicked them. He wished he had somebody to talk to about this – to reassure him that this was okay.

The next morning, he woke up because something had invaded his dreams. A strong stench that was a mixture of oil and alcohol. He opened one eye, finding it difficult – he'd spent most of the night agonizing over things while Sanji slept on the other side, snoring peacefully. When he realized that smell wasn't Sanji's in any way, he jerked up to his feet, nearly tripping over the pillow Sanji had set between them.

Zoro looked up at him with a smug expression, having been crouched at the head of the futon with a bottle in one hand, and a tv remote in the other. "Good morning, sleepy head."

"What are you doing here?" Law asked, feeling his ears lower, starting to flatten as indignant anger coursed through him.

"I thought after last night, I could come in and apologize, so I came in here to wake you up. But you're not alone," Zoro said, looking at Sanji. "I started to think you were all sorts of wrong, then I saw the _pillow fort_ separating you from the devil's temptation."

Law looked back at the pillow between them. Sanji had insisted on it, sure he'd roll over his tail. "Yes, well, obviously – this wasn't my idea."

"And I don't smell anything, which – "

" _Of course_ , you'll smell nothing!"

" – makes me wonder if you're even man at all."

"…What is that supposed to mean?"

"Most men say 'thank you for the meal' and move on with it, but you are definitely a special breed, aren't you? Or are you just waiting for someone higher up to give you permission?"

"Fuck you. What sort of fucking apology is this?"

"Don't get so defensive! If you have a choice, make it! Don't let anyone else make it for you!" Zoro snapped back, taking a drink as Law started to stiffen, ears lying flat, tail flicking. His own instinct started to warm up in response, so he struggled to remain indifferent just to show he wasn't a threat.

"If I make a goddamn choice, it's _after_ I thought it out and considered a right course of action!"

"Be spontaneous! There's nothing wrong with that! If something's there in front of you _asking_ for you to take it, take it!"

"That is crude and stupid, and only you'd think that way."

"Hey, moron, if someone laid in my bed wanting action, I'm not going to say 'no'. They're there for a reason, and they know exactly what they're going to get."

"Why is it any of your goddamn business? And how dare you talk like this about someone like him? And how can you even _do_ it with humans, considering - ?"

"I'm not trying to be rude, Princess Charming, but I'm just _saying_! Two consenting adults shouldn't be cause for eternal inner angst for the rest of your life. Besides, it only hurts them the first time. They get used to it after the first few rounds. Have towels handy."

Law just looked at him with disgust, shaking his head. He looked at Zoro – he was much bigger than him in mass and weight, and he wondered about his human partners. How 'they got used to it after the first few rounds'. He had questions, but he didn't want to ask them.

Zoro considered his expression for a few moments, then narrowed his eyes. "I can show you, if you want. It's not that big of a deal."

Not that either of them had any issues if they interrupted something intimate – Law actually considered it, for _scientific purposes_. They were cats – they hadn't been raised to see a problem with voyeurism. So he sighed, rejecting that with a shake of his head.

"I don't think so. Considering that wasn't…on the top of my list. Besides, you were with humans already used to sex, so…this situation might be different. He doesn't even know what the concept of 'sleeping together' actually means. He thinks it's literal."

"I know what you're saying. But, hey, I found him too, so I kinda feel like I have a say in things. And I think it's okay."

Law stared at him for several moments, unable to formulate an answer as Zoro considered his own words with another drink.

"I feel weird about this," Zoro confessed, looking a little troubled. "I have conflicting feelings. I should probably go beat someone up just to make myself feel better."

"And this is why tigers went extinct, because most of you are stupid."

"Shut up, cat! Us being extinct here on this planet only meant that we were hunted for our beauty, not because we're stupid."

Law then sat, looking back over his shoulder to make sure Sanji was still sleeping.

"Why?" he asked slowly. "What's 'weird'?"

"This whole thing. Like, yeah, it shocked me when Zeff came out with it, over the whole guy on guy thing, because I felt he shouldn't be doing that. It bothered me hearing about what his family did to him. Then he turns out to be a fucking saint despite it all, so he makes me _think_ of him like a kid. Yeah, we're the same age, but not on the same level. He said some things that make me rethink that whole mentality thing, but…to be honest, if he chose you to mess around with, I feel better about that. You're so fucking paranoid and antsy that you'll go out of your way to do things right, and maybe that's better for him."

Law gave him a skeptical look. He wasn't sure if he'd heard right. "You're…approving of this? Is that what you're saying?"

Zoro gestured with his remote control. "I'm not saying I'm 'approving' of it. I'm saying you're the least dangerous predator he can find."

"If there's a predator here, it's _him_. I would have never - !"

" _Please_ ," Zoro muttered, giving him an impatient look. "Who's going to believe you?"

Law sighed heavily. He didn't think anyone would believe him, and there was some humor in that. So he gave a grim smile, saying, "Well, I suppose that's true. But why don't you ask him a few of your go-to questions, you heathen? If he answers in a way that makes you worried, then you'll need to believe me."

"Okay. Whatever." Zoro studied him for a few moments, then reached over to pull his head down, bumping foreheads with him. "Listen. I'm only on your ass because you need it. No hard feelings. I think everyone was content to letting you do your own thing, but they don't know what you're going back home, for. They'd be pretty upset."

"I have my own feelings on the matter, but," Law trailed off, looking at his hands. "I'm starting to feel that going back home isn't…something I want."

"Good!" Zoro said loudly, pushing his head back from his. "It's about time! You're slow as hell!"

"Look, it's hard thinking another way when I've been brought up another. It's not to say I've changed my mind completely, but…the thought is there."

"Then, what's it going to take for you to turn your back on their decision?"

Law shrugged. "I don't know. Something big, I suppose."

"I'm telling you, once you start making your own choices and seeing what you're capable of doing, you're going to enjoy feeling that freedom. I think it's important that you keep talking to _him_ , because he can teach you a few things about valuing your own life."

"He has…"

Zoro studied him, frowning intensely at the older man. He reached over and slung an arm around his neck to draw him close, saying, "Don't be afraid to take risks! You hesitate for a moment, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life. Don't be the one that looks back and think, ' _If only'_ , because it'll only keep you in that safe little pocket you're comfortable living in."

Law frowned at him, but his words had the weight of truthfulness to it. He looked down at his hands, feeling Zoro's forehead against his, accepting the feline show of affection because they were at a truce, for now.

"Right. Well…I'm still not going to be an ogre about things. There's a process to the situation that needs to be considered – "

"'Considered', smittered. Break free of all that pole up the ass act."

" _You_ might, but –"

Both of them found themselves forcefully separated with palms to the face, surprised at the action. On his feet in moments, Zoro felt his fur lift as Sanji then kicked him in the groin, felling him in moments.

" _Stop that_! What are you doing?" Law exclaimed, pulling Sanji out of Zoro's attack range while the tiger rolled onto his side, holding himself.

Sanji looked at him, red-faced and furious before he hauled back and punched him hard in the chest, causing him to stumble back. It was unexpected, and even more so when Sanji snarled him, " _Titty punch_ for the cheater! And _you_! You always say, 'no homo', yet you're pushing your face in his! Both of you _caught_! Hell with you!"

"' _Cheater'_?" Zoro gasped, in agony, trying to breathe normally. "No – _nothing_ – _homo_ about this!"

" _Die_ from pain!" Sanji then looked at Law, who rubbed his chest with an affronted expression, reeling from the sudden attack and accusation. Struggling only to show anger despite the raging hurt he felt, he blurted out, "Both of you – Nami was right. Hell with you both. _Hate you_."

Then he stomped off, red-faced and furious, slamming the apartment door shut behind him.

Speaking into the mat, Zoro growled, "Soon as I can pull my balls out from my chest, I'm going to go maul him to death!"

Law rubbed his chest with a pained expression, then looked down. "Pretty sure I lost a nipple. Do I look _lopsided_?"

"SHUT UP! Mine's WORSE."

: :

At breakfast, Sanji fumed at the kitchen sink. He washed dishes with a hard scowl, emotions whirling around within him. They were hot mixtures of shame, rejection, confusion, and anger, and he knew there was jealousy in there, somewhere. His ears were ringing, and he was struggling to talk himself out of feeling angry. But he didn't know how else to interpret seeing two catmen looking at each other so intimately, talking quietly between each other.

On one hand, Sanji now understand why Law didn't respond to his efforts. On the other, he felt he was taking things wrong, considering how often they snapped at each other, how they had to be separated. But maybe Nami was right – he didn't understand her exact meaning, but to everyone else it was obvious that 'sexual tension' meant…unresolved issues. He paused, separating each word with their own meaning. Then he decided it was exactly as it was said, and scrubbed harder.

 _Maybe it was for the best_ , he thought, lips so tight that they hurt. He rinsed cups and hastily setting them aside, to scrub hard at a skillet Carne had used to fry bacon on. Pausing in mid motion, he wondered if Law was working his own issues out with Zoro by using _him_ as a distraction. Nami's dramas often depicted such things. Maybe he and Zoro had a secret relationship, and something happened – maybe he was extremely jealous over Zoro playing with him last night, and that was why they almost killed each other. Maybe last night, Law had used Sanji to make Zoro jealous for this injustice. He should've known better than to try after the first time Law rejected him – maybe all those times Law meant to tell him he was already involved with Zoro, but he couldn't say because they were a secret. "No homo", and all.

He lowered the dishes again. Maybe he was watching too many of Nami's dramas, because he kept coming up with different scenarios to the problem. Maybe he should have sat back and _waited_ instead of waking up and _reacting_. He scowled as he pulled the sink stopper and set it aside, then rinsed the last of the dishes. As he set them aside, he began drying them and setting them into the cupboards.

"Sanji…"

"NOT DONE BEING MAD!" he shouted, not turning around, feeling rage swirl around his earlier thinking, and he waited until he heard Law skulk away before resuming his task. His temper continued as he then set to sweeping and mopping the kitchen and dining area.

Once that was done, he thought about their side. Maybe this was _his_ fault for giving Zoro attention, last night. He had touched the catman out of his permission, then practically forced him into a massage. Really, it was to his benefit – giving Zoro a massage had been a pleasure of his, because it meant he could touch the catman without him being offended. He ended up grinning lecherously, chuckling to himself. Zoro was so slow and stupid, but all his muscles were hard packed and amazing, and Sanji had really liked the feel of them. At least Sanji could say that he never stood a chance.

"Hey, look, you need to cool it with your bratty - _shit_!" Zoro barely had time to duck as a couple of paring knives embedded into the wall near the doorway, and he scrambled out of there with a startled curse.

Satisfied that the catman was going to leave him alone, Sanji put the mop and broom away, and exhaled heavily as he shut the door to the side closet. Well, so much for that crush. Maybe they could just be friends, then. He headed back up to his apartment, and checked in on Zeff, finding that the older man was asleep. He sat at his side for a few moments, a little worried about his condition. While Zeff took frequent naps, Law had said that he was doing pretty well. He had been able to remove most of the cancer from his lymph nodes first, then removed most of them from his organs. All that remained were smaller pieces that had spread throughout his lymph nodes to other areas, and Law only had to find them.

There was still potential for it to return, and this was only a temporary fix.

Sanji rested his head against his chest, listening to him breathe. For a few minutes he let himself feel sad, but grateful that Zeff was in his life this way. Without Zeff, Sanji was sure he would be lost, unsure of whose hands he'd wind up in if the catmen had just left him in the box. This man had been more of a father to him in a few short months than Jajji had been overall. Glumly, he fiddled with Zeff's mustache, then rose away from him to head out from the apartment, to see what the others were doing. He found Franky, Bepo, Brook and Carne in Franky's apartment, where they were drinking and playing cards, but also readying themselves for the day. As Carne and Brook continued playing, Franky and Bepo were dressing themselves for work.

"We're going out to the shop, little bro," Franky said, pulling on some work pants. "There's a few things I want to upgrade on _Merry_ , piece of junk."

"You want to come with, Sanji?" Bepo asked, smiling wide as he pulled on his overalls. "We can teach you how to weld."

"No," Sanji answered. He would love to go to the underwater docking station, but he'd end up staring at the other men there, fascinated by the comings and goings of space travelers. He was certain that he'd come back, horny and confused over what he wanted from a man. It had worried him that Law had been bothered that Sanji hadn't answered his questions correctly.

"Franky. What is 'The Talk'?" he then asked curiously, sitting on the battered couch that had most of Franky's clean clothes on them.

"'The Talk'? Use it in a sentence."

"Law said, 'Someone's got to give you _The Talk_.'"

"The Talk, the… _oh_!" Franky looked startled, then gave him a baffled look while Bepo continued to look confused. "Oh, well…guys? Sanji has asked something of us."

"What's that?" Brook asked, lowering his cards towards him while Carne studied his, throwing in a couple of coins onto the pile between them.

"Law said it was up to us to give Sanji The Talk."

"Oh, _shit_!" Carne exclaimed, looking over with surprise. "Pop a squat, kid! I can tell you all about women!"

"Wait – why didn't that Mangy Cat do it?" Franky asked, waving away Carne's enthusiasm.

Sanji shrugged. "He's _shy_."

"Can't you watch the internet for that?" Bepo asked cautiously.

" _Idiot_! You will not watch the internet, I forbid you," Franky said to Sanji firmly. "Look, main point is – when two people want to do it, they insert Tab A into Slot B and go until Tab A conquers Slot B with a victory dunk."

"Wow, coming from you, that was horrible," Brook commented flatly.

"I am nothing but factual."

"'Tab A'?" Sanji questioned with a bewildered look. "What is 'slot'? You mean, a loose woman?"

"Not 'slut', I meant 'slot'. Okay, look," Franky demonstrated by forming a circle with his thumb and index finger, before jabbing in with his opposite index finger. "This is sex. Tab A, Slot B. In and out until someone cries for mercy."

Bepo started laughing hysterically, Sanji looking at Franky with utter confusion, Franky growing exasperated in that he couldn't say it right. He wiped his forehead with imagined sweat. "Damn. I'm really losing here, guys. Help a bro out."

"First off, you're going about it all wrong. Step aside, sir," Carne, said, waving Franky away. "You're forgetting the entire point. Sanji, when two guys have fallen _madly_ , deeply in love and want each other's babies – "

"Overkill!"

"Boo!"

"Men can't have babies!"

"I'm _trying_ to _insinuate_ that this is the only _acceptable_ time to _express_ _feeling_ with a body!" Carne snapped at the other three, giving them a stern look. He returned to looking at Sanji, who looked at him with utter confusion. "Now, when that time comes, when both of you are so in love that you want to start a family, when you're _married_ , then comes the time where you have to consummate the marriage."

"I don't think that's the right thing to say," Franky interrupted. "Because you can have sex without marriage – "

"I'm _SAYING_ that so that WE'RE not the ones dealing with the aftermath!"

" _Ooh_!" All three of them said with vague understanding, Sanji looking over at them with a shaking head, unsure of what was happening.

"At that time, you need to be careful. You have to make sure you use a TON of oil – maybe an entire liter's worth of lubrication."

"A liter is going too far, I think," Bepo said, narrowing his eyes.

"No, that sounds about right," Franky said. "Listen, Sanji – the ass does not provide lubrication. You can't just spit on it and say, 'Go'."

"Unwelcome images have hit me," Bepo muttered.

"Oil…like cooking oil?" Sanji asked with a confused expression.

"Special oil. You can only go to Butan to find it. That's in the _far_ West Blue," Carne said seriously.

"Or to the adult shop two blocks away," Brook muttered, shaking his head.

"Don't listen to him, Sanji, he's a skeleton. Anyway, _then_ that's when Tab A gets inserted into Slot B. Only, men don't have vaginas, okay? Between men, 'slot b' happens to be the asshole. So this is really important that oil is used."

"Sex is only when you're married!" Franky reminded Sanji gruffly.

"Like Nami and Luffy?"

"Yes!"

"So if you're single, then you _can't_ have sex. You have to marry someone, first. That's the safest way," Bepo said firmly.

Sanji stared at them all, then said, "I feel like you're all lying to me."

"Don't come at us with accusations when you asked for our advice," Franky said, hands on his hips. "You wanted to hear what we had to say, then don't bitch about our methods. This is only what I know."

"So…you're all virgins."

"NO!" they all shouted. Brook reached over and looked at Carne's cards, and muttered an expletive.

"You know, go ask that damn cat. He should've been the one to tell you about this," Franky said, shaking his head. "Such a priss."

"Don't ask Zoro, he'll give you the same advice as Franky," Bepo warned Sanji. "Better yet, go ask Nami! Women explain things in a totally more helpful manner than guys can."

"We're headed out, guys!" Franky said, Bepo grabbing his toolbelt, the pair of them leaving the apartment. Carne took his seat back at the table, picking up his cards with a huff.

"Listen, Sanji, best advice I can give you, don't have sex," he said. "It'll ruin you. Especially if you're aiming to do it with men. There are some nasties out there that'll take advantage of a man like you. You don't want a broken heart, do ya?"

"No."

"Then don't do it until five years from now, when you know what you want and you're comfortable with yourself. And…get married, first."

Feeling as if he'd learned to never ask these men anything again, Sanji left the apartment.


	18. Violence In Resistance

**A/N: I was on a roll.**

 **Guest: it certainly was! Was not helpful at all! Read ahead for more answers :D**

 **18: Violence In Resistance**

Zeff gave Law a studious frown as the catman looked him over, consulting a couple of touchpads that gave him an extended view of the work he'd performed on the older man the previous times. Zeff was aware that Law had taken out most of the cancer from him, and understood that there was a chance he'd succumb to it, anyway. But from the looks of it, the catman had pretty much eliminated all the tumors that had been eating at him from the inside out. He wasn't that hopeful in that Law had been completely successful – abnormal cells tended to multiply very quickly and sneakily.

Currently, Law had him split diagonally cross the chest and was receiving piece after piece of him to examine up close visually before pulling what looked to be a magnifying panel over it to look deeper. While incredibly uncomfortable to look at, considering he was looking at actual parts of himself in another man's hands without dying, Zeff was fine with it.

But Zeff noticed that those eyebags of his were darker, today, and he looked a little more nervous than usual. He also noticed that Sanji was quite pissed at both catmen, and refused to acknowledge either of them; even as Zoro bitched at him and Law frowned down at his food like it had personally offended him. He was aware that something happened last night after he'd left, but it only sounded like roughhousing to him; nothing to write home about.

He could also sense that Law had something he wanted to say or ask, but it looked like he kept talking himself out of it.

"Well?" he asked gruffly.

"I've removed most of it from your organs," Law said vaguely, scrolling through one of the free floating pads at his side. "Currently, it's at seventy five percent contained. I have every confidence that I could wipe it out completely, but…there's always a chance that it could return. Whether its environmentally caused or just…your sentence, it's…there's always a negative chance of – "

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the other thing that's on your mind."

For a moment Law fumbled with the touchpad, then carefully swept aside the magnifying panel to re-insert that sorted piece back into Zeff's chest. Then cut another part to repeat the process. He then said with some difficulty, "Sanji is upset with me."

Zeff snorted. "That was obvious. Brat gets frustrated, sometimes. But he's treating both of you as if you don't exist, so what did _you_ do?"

"Unfortunately, he received the wrong idea of Mr Roronoa's relationship with me. I suspect that Nami's dramas have had a negative influence on him."

Zeff chuckled, Law frowning at him as he paused in expanding the view of the section he held in one hand. He pulled over a metal stand with a sterile surface pad on it, and set the part down. "Well, that was obvious. I had the same thought at one time."

"Well, it's not true."

"It's not a secret that he's a bad crush on you, with all this nonsense about – "

"He - ! Nothing happened that night, Zeff," Law said hurriedly, looking at him with horror. "I swear it. The things he spoke of, he…he honestly thought he was doing them, but he knows nothing about physical relations. It was – it was as if I were being smothered by an affectionate child, with _nothing_ inappropriate happening. I was just…shocked that it happened."

Zeff frowned, seeing how Law fretted over it. While it looked like Law had been horrified that Sanji confessed so easily to these things, it looked as if Sanji himself remained the aggressor. He was still disturbed himself that this had happened, but at the same time, he'd resigned himself of the situation. So he found amusement in Law's shock, finding truth to the others' word on his "prim sensibilities". He said, "And it bothers you that this _man_ has an awakening sexual appetite?"

Law looked back at the panel, but he wasn't seeing anything there. He wasn't seeing anything in front of him but his own thoughts. Zeff narrowed his eyes.

"What bothers me is…how easy it is to respond to it," Law confessed slowly, with heavy remorse.

Zeff exhaled heavily. It took a few moments to roll the thought around before he ended up shaking his head tightly.

"I can't see that," he said. "You're such a fucking _princess_ , you're the type to faint if anything progressed from his affections."

Law gave him an insulted look, dropping his gloved hands to his sides. He looked so affronted that Zeff ended up laughing at him.

"I've learned that he can be shy, but he's already has his mind made up before anybody can even guess that he'd been thinking about something. Hey, it's not to say that I'll turn my back on some of his actions – it's important for him to learn what's appropriate and what's not, even if it's at the expense of others. But…one has to accept that he's…he's not a child. He has a strong will, and if he sets himself on doing something, he's going to do it. Hasn't his survival told you this?"

Law didn't say anything, but he continued to look troubled. Zeff suspected that he'd been agonizing over this for awhile, considering his deposition. He sighed again.

"Look, yes, it's bothersome, this man-child. But…you'll have to accept that with his freedom, he'll be involved in some questionable things. I had to think it over myself. Stubborn little shit is the type to go in and do it anyway, damned be the consequences, if he didn't already think of them himself. If he chose you, you have no say in the matter. He might be pissy now, but I guarantee you, he's found his prey because you're easy pickings, and he knows you're not going to say 'no' forever. Just resign yourself to his fate."

It offended Law that Zeff spoke so easily of Sanji's intentions, making his face redden with mortification and anger. "Goddamn it, quit talking about me like I'm some - _mouse_!"

"Oh, ho ho ho, you bum, you're insulted because it's true. You're only a pampered house cat, you only know what's good for you until it's given to you."

Law glared at the panel, huffing. His pride damaged, he scowled at the contents before him for some minutes, Zeff sitting with an amused look to his face.

"It might be good for you," he finally said. "That brat might make you think a little."

Law gave him a bewildered look, as if he were offended. "Don't you people understand that he's - !"

"I'm not going to be around for that long," Zeff said over him, having accepted it. "And he…it's a lot of years to undo. This curiosity of his will lose its strength, soon, and…I know there's a _mountain_ of things he hasn't yet spoken about, but it's there. I think that even if I check out soon, I'd rather him stay with the lot of you than him running off with some loser that only knows how to apply to his surface taste. I've seen you get under his skin to upset that superficial barrier of his, and he's trusted you. Maybe you shouldn't run so much from him."

Law frowned at him. "I find it bothersome that you all speak of him as if he needs to be cared for. Yes, I confess, I've compared most of his mannerisms and thought processes to that of a child, but he shouldn't be passed from person to person like he's an object in need of constant care. The moment he learns that you all think he needs to be sheltered under someone's wing for permanent direction is the moment he's going to snap on you. I guarantee you, he's going to run out and do something incredibly stupid to prove he's capable of doing things on his own."

Zeff looked at him with surprise. Hand to his chest, he said, "Well, _look at you_. Thank you for signing up for this responsibility."

"It's not to say that I take any sorts of responsibility for anybody, considering that I am leaving once I am through assisting you – "

"Bullshit," Zeff said firmly, looking confident. "And you know it."

Thinning his lips, Law frowned at him. But he didn't argue because he knew he was right – thinking about last night made him feel that itch again; to ignore Doflamingo's order to return home, to give up his own life just so the half flamingo could live eternally.

"What is your dad like?" Zeff asked curiously. "He always struck me as simple minded."

"He's very clever. Selfish. Compassionate…" Law trailed off, looking at the ceiling for a brief moment before saying, "but he makes his choices based off what Doflamingo desires. Not against him, but…in a less cruel way."

"Much like yourself."

"This is only how we are, alright? There are _reasons_ why we have rules," Law said with gritted teeth.

"And weren't you banished from there?"

Scowling, Law said nothing.

"So why are you _still_ following those rules?"

"Because it's all I have, all right?"

"No. They're bullshit rules, what have they done for you, lately? You were banished, your fox mail order bride disappeared with most of your money, and they certainly don't apply to Sanji, do they? So what's the point of following rules?" Zeff asked incredulously. "On a personal level, I find you a non-threat, you're smart, those prissy sensibilities will come in handy when it comes to him being curious, and it's not like you're the top of anybody's list, so I doubt you'll treat him wrong by chasing tail on someone else."

Law scowled again, disgusted in that he felt he was right about most of those things. He said nothing in response, and he really didn't see any point to having himself continually battered by the older man's truths. He continued working for some time, Zeff looking at him with a smirk, then finding his attention averted elsewhere.

That night, after another dinner where Sanji flat out ignored the pair of them – Bepo shivering dramatically at Law's side every time Sanji was in the proximity - Law sulked in his room. He was exhausted after working on Zeff most of the day, but it didn't mean the thoughts had stopped. He looked over at the digital clock on the shelves, seeing that it was nearly an hour after the time Sanji usually wandered in. Granted, he'd only did so twice, but Law was expecting him to do so anyway. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Zeff's words, about Zoro's, about the actions of last night, and felt exasperated at himself.

One thought led to another, and he ended up looking at the clock again, finding that a half hour had passed since he'd last looked at it. He glared at the shadows of his apartment, then considered his options. He looked over at the other side of the futon, listening to the faint sounds of the city coming from the closed window, where the blinds were opened just slightly to allow for the light to come in.

He thought about home, where his house had been completely silent, where nothing seemed personal. He thought about the conversations he'd had with the fox, where they spoke _at_ each other, but not to each other. The more he thought about it, the more it was only clear that they were only negotiators, aiming for the same contract. The fox wanted out of his responsibilities, to live a 'free' life; they agreed on that. But that was the only thing they truly agreed on. Law couldn't imagine having anything else in common with him. He imagined that if the marriage _did_ happen, there would be absolutely nothing there. There was no passion, no thoughts of jealousy, no admiration, nothing.

He looked at the clock again, then sat up, giving a frustrated sound. He stood up, and glared at the comforter for a few minutes, then exhaled heavily. A few moments later, he was in Sanji's room, and he saw the guy sleeping peacefully in his futon, absolutely _unbothered_ ; which drove Law crazy because he had been analyzing _every_ thing. The narrow room was decorated with things Sanji found relevant – some cookbooks, hideous clothing with godawful prints, colorful posters of various Earth landmarks. The little creature that he slept with looked at him with surprise, uttering a low chirp as it drew away from his side and expanded in size, looming over him with a threatening presence. The room immediately grew warm as it ate up the moisture, and it uttered a growl before it seemed to recognize him. Law wasn't going to lie – the thing terrified him for a moment, but since it only reacted defensively, thinking Sanji was in danger, it only made him nod with approval. The creature shrunk back with a low whistle, curling up on the futon – leaving the air hot and dry. Law wondered why he didn't see it downstairs, interacting with the others. Sanji gave a light cough in his sleep, and Law crouched at his side, grabbed his arm.

"Excuse us," he told the creature that looked at him with concern.

Once they were back in his room, Sanji coughed again, unaware of the room switch. He only resettled against his pillow and Law climbed in next to him. He considered the 'pillow fort', then decided against it. Looking over the other man, he decided against a lot of things. He pulled Sanji onto his back, the man giving a sleepy sound as he realized that something was different.

"Sanji," Law said as Sanji looked at him with complete surprise, "I did wrong last night. I should've given you The Talk myself. Whatever you learned from those guys, you just need to disregard it."

"What are you doing? I was sleeping, am tired," Sanji complained low, looking around himself. "Where's Chopper? How I get here?"

He fell silent when Law grabbed his chin to force him to focus on him, giving him a startled look. For a few moments, Law started to rethink himself. Then he stopped thinking, Sanji starting to complain again before Law cut him off. Law crushed his mouth to his, cutting off any other sound he intended to make. He kissed Sanji hard, giving a light sound as he did so, his fingers tight over Sanji's jaw. For a moment Sanji stiffened up, shocked, until he felt Law's tongue swipe against his lips. He opened up on a muffled gasp, tasting him as Law licked inside his mouth, tasting his teeth, finding his tongue. Then Sanji went limp, finally understanding what was happening to him. Before he could make an eager attempt back, Law's mouth left his and went to his cheek, licking slightly before biting him, causing him to grunt with discomfort.

Forcing Sanji's head back, Law made his way down his neck, biting there before licking, his hands moving from Sanji's face down to his shirt, forcing the material open so he could have access to his collarbone, his shoulder. He ended up ripping his shirt to do so, and Sanji felt weak kneed, unsure of what to do as he grabbed the catman's hair, flinching upon the feel of canines on his skin. He wanted to cry out but then Law would kiss there, soothing the spot, and all Sanji could do was breathe deeply, shivering. He felt the catman's hand sneak up his shirt, his cold hand against his stomach causing him to open his mouth to protest when Law covered it with his, his tongue once again tasting his.

Sanji laid there, mind blank, just going with the feelings. Once he registered Law's hands snaking down his pants, he made to push him away with alarm. But he didn't say anything once Law's fingers wrapped around his half-hard dick, and Sanji made a light sound of distress. His eyes nearly rolled back as Law left his mouth, butting his chin aside so that he could move down Sanji's neck – his teeth clamped over the delicate curve of where his shoulder met his neck, and he growled low as his fingers tightened briefly over Sanji's dick. Paralyzed with sensation, Sanji moaned as Law pumped his dick with one hand, and kept him still with his teeth clamped firmly over him. After a few moments, he felt Law's hand leave his dick, and he gave a whimper at the loss of sensation. Right after that, he felt Law's finger at his hole, and he tensed quickly, giving a startled sound.

At the feel of teeth clamping over his neck, he gave a strangled shout, felt the finger enter him as he did so. His hands went up to Law's shoulders to push him away, but the catman growled at him, and Sanji's instinct told him to stop. But that finger pushed into him, causing Sanji to breathe harder, utterly confused. He still felt good from the handjob, but this was different. His skin tingled where Law was biting him, and he felt turned on from the position, but he wasn't sure if he was supposed to like the feeling of the finger inside of him. He felt Law's teeth released him, the catman licking there, and Sanji gave an anxious moan, his hands falling to his arms, feeling that finger moving inside of him.

Law kissed his neck, moved up to his ear, and Sanji felt good again, closing his eyes as he adjusted to the feel down below and the wet sound of Law's kisses. He felt his teeth graze against his jaw, and that finger slowly retreated, only to push up again. Breathing heavily, Sanji tilted his head back, feeling overly warm and anxious, hips shifting restlessly. Law's mouth moved over his, and Sanji could hear his heavy breath, could taste the light salt of his sweat. As Law kissed him gently, plying his lips with his, Sanji felt his finger shifting from side to side before retreating completely. Moving back to stroke his dick, his grip was rough and fast, and the upset of placement caused Sanji to give another strangled sound, pushing up into that handling. Law opened his mouth with his, searching for his tongue. Sanji gave himself up to it, having no clue how to kiss back but keeping his mouth open to let him lead. He could feel saliva dribbling from the corners of his mouth, and when Law licked that away, he removed his hand from Sanji's dick as well.

Sanji heard him working up spit, watching him spit into his hand before that disappeared between them again, and a wet finger moved up his ass once more. Sanji wasn't even aware of the noises he was making, mind a mess. He felt Law's mouth move over his jaw, down the other side of his neck. He tensed suddenly, feeling teeth open over his shoulder, and he gave a sharp cry because he expected the pain, and felt intense shivers race down his body at the same time. He felt pressure enter him once more, larger than just that one finger, and he tensed because it hurt, it was uncomfortable, but damn if being bitten – an entirely different feeling – only made him cry out and push his body into making frantic movement for more sensation. He heard Law growl again, and heard his hard breathing, and Sanji knew that the man was holding back. He could feel it in the pressure of his teeth, the feel of his skin, the way he laid over him. Utterly at his mercy, Sanji shook underneath him, his fingers curling into his shirt as those fingers moved in him and those teeth tightened a little more. He cried out, uncertain if he were in pain or ecstasy, opening his legs, yet pushing his head up against his in an effort to alleviate that pinch. Those fingers retreated from him, leaving him feeling open and empty, and returned to stroking his dick. It didn't take long, his legs shaking as those thin fingers gripped and moved for him to feel palm and fingers alternating in twisting motion.

When Sanji came, he gave a shaky shout, feeling those teeth tightening briefly, pain causing him to tense as Law captured all his spunk in his hand. Then he removed his teeth and Sanji struggled to understand what had just happened. He looked up at Law with immense confusion, the catman cupping his prize carefully in one hand.

"What was that?" Sanji managed to ask, trying to catch his breath.

"I don't have lube," Law told him, shifting around under the blankets with his pants, kicking them off.

Utterly confused, Sanji stared at him then watched as he then maneuvered between his legs. Shaking from both the earlier orgasm and from anticipation as Law's entire demeanor seemed to change, Sanji watched as he touched himself with his cupped hand, then pushed Sanji's knees up. He was at a loss for words as he felt Law's dick at his entrance, and he gave a strangled sound as he felt him enter.

Ignoring Sanji's pained noises, Law leaned over him, slowly sheathing himself inside. He could feel himself growing excited at the feel of the body beneath him, at the sensation caused in entering him. Sanji was warm, painfully tight, but the thought that he was now _his_ only made him more aggressive. All that control he'd had left him in one fell swoop because it wasn't his mind doing the thinking. He laid out over him, feeling Sanji's fingers in his hair, feeling his legs shake. His entire body tightened, and Law had to push hard to get into position, fighting him. Breathing heavily, he adjusted to the feel of Sanji's ass clamping around him before straightening up and pushing one of his legs aside, roughly leaning in to grip him. He was aware that Sanji was not in any comfortable position, that there wasn't enough lube, but all that mattered was claiming his territory.

He leaned over him as Sanji's fingers curled and tightened on him, his legs moving to stretch out, to escape him. Pressing up against him, he growled low and leaned over to bite him again. Sanji straightened his legs out, managed to force him out, crawling onto his stomach to get away Law caught him again, leaning over to bite his shoulder hard, hearing him cry out in pain before re-entering him again. He shifted an arm underneath Sanji's hips and pulled him back into him, pumping hard, enjoying the feel of his body, the tight constriction on his dick. He shifted his mouth from his shoulder, moving over his neck before clamping his teeth over the thin skin just before his hairline. Sanji was crying out again, entire body tense, unable to escape the relentless pumping at his ass.

Anchoring him to him, Law alternated between groaning and growling, reaching out with his free hand to steady himself over the smaller man. He felt Sanji struggle to get away again, and shifted his mouth from his neck to his back, nipping in warning. He caught the hand that was stretching out to reach for something, and closed his fingers tightly over those, shifting Sanji's hips up. He slowed his thrusting, reveling in the feel of Sanji, groaning over his back. He licked and tasted the salt of his sweat, smelled fear and pain on him, and pulled that outstretched hand back against Sanji's body. Then curled that arm around his neck, breathing heavily. He could hear Sanji's heart slamming hard, hear his frantic breathing, but Law was too far gone in his instinct to think about what he was doing.

He withdrew his dick slightly before slamming up into him, Sanji crying out before muffling it against the floor, wiggling to get free. Finding his tempo, Law ignored his efforts, nipping at his spine before stretching himself over him, to lick and bite his ear, to kiss down his neck. He felt the incoming pressure of his orgasm, and switched his grip to his hips, holding him steady as he began thrusting faster. Sanji's muffled noises signaled distress and pain, but he didn't struggle so hard this time.

Uttering a low groan that turned into a breathless shout, Law came in him, holding his hips tightly as he rode out the waves of feeling. He scraped his teeth over Sanji's back as he struggled to get his breath, legs shaking underneath him. For a few moments he laid over him, then started moving again, still hard. He reached between them, touching Sanji's dick, finding it soft and limp. Sanji gave a low noise, reaching in to push his hand away, to straighten out from underneath him.

Dick slipping out of him, Law blinked away that haze that hung over him, feeling Sanji moving restlessly underneath him. He turned on his backside with a low sound, then punched him hard across the face. The action caused a shock to the system that had Law stumbling to catch himself, Sanji scrambling to get out from under him, but finding himself caught as Law grabbed him and pushed him back to the floor.

Catching his breath, he looked over at the man, registering his scared expression, but not caring. He pushed both his hands up above his head, shaking his head, saying, "We're different from human men, Sanji. We go several times."

" _Hurts_ , you fucking bastard!"

"You're the one that kept prowling around. This is what happens," Law told him firmly, pinning those hands with one, then reaching between them, guiding himself back into him. Sanji gave a cry of pain, trying to pull away, but Law leaned over him, exhaling heavily with pleasure as he started to move.

Later that morning, when the sun began to warm up the city, Sanji opened his eyes blearily. He focused in on the ceiling first, then tilted his head to the side, feeling utterly exhausted. His entire body was sore, and his upper body was contending with his lower body for what hurt the most. He reached out to pull himself up into a seated position, feeling fluid leak from him as he did so. But then the arm around him tightened, and he froze immediately, entire body tensing.

Once the movement registered, he looked around himself, seeing that Law was sleeping behind him, holding onto him tightly. Sanji didn't want to wake him up and have him attack again. His ass ached, and now he fully understood why Law had said the things he did. _Now_ Sanji realized why Law had been so reluctant to respond to him, and he laid there, sorting out his feelings.

He had been afraid; it _hurt_ , and Law didn't care. He used Sanji a few times, rested, then went again, and each time, Sanji found himself wondering if it was supposed to be like this. He swallowed tightly, fingers to his mouth so he could bite the knuckle, trying to talk himself into accepting the situation. It wasn't until the final time when Law found that spot that made Sanji cry out differently, and the orgasm he felt was much more intense than the first one he'd experienced at his hands.

After it all, Sanji wondered if every time could be like the last. He'd felt different sorts of pleasure in this – when Law bit and kissed him, when he touched him tenderly, when he made him cum. And he did like the way Law lost control of himself, because for once, Law wasn't overthinking everything that could possibly happen. He just took control and, after thinking about it, Sanji did like that.

He felt Law shift, waking up with a deep inhale, a hard tension in his taller frame. Sanji looked at him warily, watching him wake up. There was the sleepy recognition of seeing that it was early morning, and then the slow close of heavy eyelids – then he was wide awake and looking at him with a start, and Sanji frowned because gone was that controlling, possessive look; in its place was guilt, and Law released him to sit up, looking him over with a horrified expression.

" _I'm so sorry_! I'm – are you hurt? Are…come here, damn it, I'm so sorry, Sanji! I don't know what I was thinking, I'm so sorry," Law said in a hard rush, his hands over him, gently touching the bitemarks, the scratches, and Sanji frowned harder. He didn't know why he was so disappointed in the change. After all that, he expected Law to retain that controlling viciousness he had when he was fucking him. _This_ was different because he wasn't sure how to respond to it.

He was confused over his own reaction, wincing at the battered state of his body as he sat up. Disgusted, he looked himself over. He was crusty, his skin tingled around the bitemarks, and his hips hurt. Not only that, he felt uncomfortably feverish. He saw that Law looked utterly distressed looking him over, red from the neck up. He pulled the comforter around himself, Sanji looking at him with concern because he didn't understand the sudden self-consciousness after it all.

"Why are you so nice?" he asked, frowning at him. "You weren't nice doing it."

"I…. _knew_ …this would happen, I…Let me go run a bath, you can take a shower, _I'm so sorry_! I'm _so_ …! Let me go get some ice, I'll - !"

Sanji furrowed his brow, and reached out and snatched the blanket to keep the catman from running off. Law looked back at him, looking intensely upset, ashamed, and Sanji asked, "Do you regret doing it with me? Is that why you're upset?"

" _Yes_ , I – I shouldn't…"

Sanji made to stand but regretted that instantly. So he sat there while Law hurried off, running the bath. Moments later, he heard Law lock the front door, and he was dressing quickly in sweats and a shirt. Sanji kept his frown in place, unsure of what he was upset more about; the fact that he had a bad first experience, or that the man that took him was regretting his actions. Which made the former feel less like a bad experience, and more like an insult.

" _Why_?" he demanded, minutes later, sinking slowly into the tub. He winced at all the injuries he felt, upper shoulders stinging with all movement. "Why you regret? You didn't during it."

"Look, Sanji, I'm ashamed. I knew bedding a human would be a traumatic experience, I just…I thought I'd have more control of myself. Seeing you in this state just…makes me feel as if I'd…did something terrible. It was violent, and…not…something that should've happened for your first time – "

"It's insulting that you regret it, considering how determined you were to - "

"I didn't want to do it in the first place – "

"So you found me unattractive? Unworthy? Weak?"

"No – "

"You feel what, _why_?"

"This type of violence is ugly and cruel and - !"

" _This_ what you think if you'd mated with your fox? _Hmph_ ," Sanji muttered, looking off to the side. "Then you didn't want to, you shouldn't have invited me. Should've left me alone. Was sleeping fine."

Law pulled his lips between his teeth, and said nothing. He couldn't meet the man's eyes, and he kept his head lowered. Sanji looked at him with disgust. He reached out and grabbed his ear, pulling him towards him. "You meet my eyes and take responsibility for what you done! You want man in your bed, you treat him like a man! Men don't regret actions, they make new ones!"

Law pulled out of his grasp, rubbing at his ear. "Not like this."

"Like I'm not strong? It hurts, but not like I'm broken. I'm not sure what I was expecting. No one had a good answer. I work out my own feelings, being that it is a new experience. I respect you if you take responsibility and get on with it."

"So…I lost your respect….because I feel ashamed for savaging your body?" Law asked incredulously.

"I come from family that is strong, this type of 'thoughtfulness'," Sanji wasn't sure if that was the right word, but it sounded right for the moment, "was not consideration."

"But you aren't your family," Law said dully.

Sanji frowned off to the side of the tub. He was right, but these feelings inside of him were confusing. He thought about the things that happened, and felt unsure of how he was even supposed to expect them to happen. But he felt that Law had made the conscious choice to do this with him, so Law should not regret it. It made Sanji feel that he was a bad choice when he was trying so hard to be _his_ choice.

He muttered, "Take responsibility. You did this, _yes_ , you made choice, so own up to choice. Don't make me feel like I'm some fragile thing. I'm a goddamn man."

Law leaned against the side of the tub, rubbing his forehead. He said nothing after that, but Sanji couldn't stand seeing the pain of his regret on his features. He managed to lean back and kick him, sending him to the floor.

" _Take responsibility_!" he shouted at him. "You keep feeling bad, I kick your ass!"

"This isn't normal! This isn't something that - ! Of _course_ I'm going to feel wretched seeing you in this state - !"

"If I wanted _princess_ on me, I chose woman. But I chose man. I chose _you_! I chose you overall, and if you can fight Zoro just for _spitting_ on me, you can take responsibility for all this! Don't be pussy because you chose to act on instinct – you be proud – _and I don't know if that right word_ \- you look forward to next time! Next time, I be ready!"

Sullenly, Law sat up. Watching his legs cautiously, he took his seat back at the tub's edge. "You can say whatever shit you want, Sanji. For you to think that this is okay – that I should be proud of what I did – that only goes to show you've still got a long way to go when it comes to recognizing true consideration towards your wellbeing. You think I should be proud that I 'conquered' your body? Fuck you. For you to lose respect for me because of how I feel towards you? _Fuck you_. That's your family's way of thinking, it's not mine. Don't tell me how I should or should not feel. You want to feel that way, fine. I don't give a fuck if you don't respect me. Wash your body with soap. I'm going to get some ice and tell Zeff you're not feeling well."

Sanji frowned after him, pressing his lips tight together. He heard the slam of the door, and stared with confusion at the soap nearby. He ran Law's words through his thoughts, then tried to sort out his feelings as the result of them.

: :

Zeff looked at Law with an expression of concern as the catman told him that Sanji was not feeling well. Considering a frightening period where Sanji had been sick for a month straight as he adjusted to Earth's environment, Zeff figured that the planet's hard winter had a hand in it. But he swore Sanji had been fine the night before. Then again, when he went to go wake him up, Sanji wasn't in his room – just that creature. Zeff wondered if this was why Law looked so wrecked. Was he this nervous because he was still resisting temptation? Zeff thought they had a good talk, yesterday.

"So, bed rest for the day," Law muttered, looking at everything but at Zeff. The breakfast table was lively with everyone partaking in omelets, leftovers from last night. "He should be fine by tomorrow. His fever is…calming considerably."

"Okay, well…that's unfortunate. Let me heat some soup for him, then," Zeff said gruffly, opening the fridge to start throwing ingredients together. "Please be considerate of yourself, as well. You look a wreck."

"You freeballing it today, eh?" Zoro asked Law suspiciously, too close to him. He leaned in and sniffed, then looked at him with immense surprise. He opened his mouth to comment on the mixture of scents, causing Law to slap him away, turning bright red.

"That was not very manly," Franky said with a stern face, Zoro stumbling away with a bright red handprint on his cheek. "You need to work on that punch."

"He made a lewd suggestion, that's what he gets," Law huffed, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

" _OW_! All I was going to say was meet me in the park, we'll take the kid for a walk, and you just - ! _Urgh_!"

"I don't want to hear anything from you!"

"You still mad about the other night, Law?" Brook asked with concern. "By the way, Sanji approached us with a very difficult question, and I'm curious as to why you didn't want to do the lecture, yourself."

"The Talk?" Law repeated, stammering slightly as Zeff chopped vegetables quickly and soundly. "Well…"

"Why should he? He doesn't have any experience," Zoro grumbled, rubbing his cheek.

"I thought I was pretty clear on things," Franky said, frowning over his cola. "I did not leave any detail out."

"There were _some_ details you skipped over," Carne pointed out.

"I can talk to him, it's no problem," Nami said cheerfully, lowering her coffee to the table. "I would love to talk about things like that."

"What kind of 'talk'?" Luffy asked curiously, working on his platter of food.

"About sex."

"Aw, man, don't talk to him about that stuff, Nami. Let him figure it out on his own."

"Bad idea!" most of the table shouted at him, making him nearly choke.

Pointed ears lifted, he gave them all indignant looks. "Why _not_? He's a full grown man, he should be able to try things out on his own without our opinion getting in the way!"

"First off, limited contact with humans left him without any obvious knowledge of how things work," Nami said sternly, Law looking fairly guilty as he busied himself with shredding up a paper napkin, Zeff looking over at his anxious actions with a frown. "He was a kid. He probably doesn't know why the body does what it does, and he's just figuring it out. I hate that most of you guys thing he shouldn't be curious about things like that – you're trying to keep him this pure little virgin – "

"Do you think Legolas glowed because he was married? _No_. He glowed because he was free from material things, and bodily attachments," Zoro told her, sitting at the end of the table with a can of beer. "And with the way Sanji's family is, don't you think he should transcend all that?"

"No. _Idiot_. You don't even listen to half the shit that comes out of your mouth," Nami told him with a blank stare. "Anyway, I'll talk to Sanji, Law. It's no problem. We'll go watch some movies – "

" _NO_!" most of the men, Law the loudest, shouted at her.

Flustered, Law said, "He takes those things to heart."

" _How_? I've never seen him pursue anybody, other than make those disgusting comments he makes with Brook," Nami muttered, glaring at the skeleton. With an impatient look, she said, "Besides, I'm sure what Franky and the others had to tell him was stupid and not at all helpful."

"I don't think I feel comfortable with you giving a sex talk to other men, no matter if he likes men himself," Luffy told her, frowning. He lit up. "I can!"

"NO!" Everyone shouted, Zeff included. Luffy sat down, looking insulted.

At the phone ringing, Nami left the table to go answer, rolling her eyes.

"Well, we did what we could," Franky said with a sigh. "If you wanted a better go of it, you might as well as do it, Law."

"It's not that I'm uncomfortable doing so, it's just…"

"You think of him as dear, sweet, innocent Sanji? Not dirty, perverted, wanting _construction guy ass_ Sanji?"

Law scowled at him, and Franky made the guns motion with his fingers.

"I was right! Law, honestly, you of all people should know better, bud. I get that you were rejected, but that doesn't mean you run right out and start adopting children left and right to fill the void. It'll happen one day, man. Honestly."

"Probably sooner rather than later, considering what he's been up to," Zoro muttered, taking a long drink of his beer.

"Guys, there was a problem at the docks," Nami said hurriedly, looking concerned. " _Sunny_ was broken into."

"Fucking Hell!"

"People are going to die, today!"

"Get your skivvies on, let's go punch a bitch!"

"Justice will be served!"

"I'll stay with Sanji," Law said quickly, watching the others get up. "That sounds suspicious."

"I'll stay with _them_ , just in case," Zoro said, burping noisily. "It shouldn't take all of you guys to go, c'mon."

"Anybody that messes with my baby is going to get it," Franky snarled, throwing his chair aside.

"Heads will ring," Bepo promised, red with frustration. "No one touches our shit and gets away with it!"

"Oh, ho ho ho! I'll go just to see if they're true with their intentions! Plus, if Sanji is sick, I don't want to catch his bug," Brook said with a merry laugh. "I will die if I do."

" _Dude_ ," Bepo said impatiently.

"We're going out for groceries, today," Zeff said, stirring the broth, adding the vegetables. Then he set the top on, and pressed a button; the timer read '5', and he turned away from it, looking at the others. "Carne and I. Anything special for the week?"

As orders were shouted out, Carne made a list. Zeff then pulled out a tray, and began setting it. He frowned over at Law as he threw away the mountain of shredded napkin pieces, and paced restlessly near the back door, looking a mess. So Zeff pulled out the biggest soup bowl they had, knowing what Sanji would think. He found it amusing that Sanji was the cause of Law's anxiety, and he wondered if he truly was 'sick'. From the guilty way Law's ears flattened, the lack of eye contact, he had to assume the little bugger was successful. He couldn't say anything about it, though.

He knew Sanji was going to get his way; that was just how he was.

Once the soup was done, he ladled enough into the bowl to feed two, loaded it with crackers on the side, and poured some tea into a thermos. The others had finally made their way to the front door, all of them talking loudly amongst each other. Nami was shouting orders at them to behave and handle it righteously, but then pulled her jacket on anyway, intending on handling the situation herself.

"Law, Zoro, Zeff. You guys wear your wrist-comms, just in case," she ordered, indicating hers. "We have to be careful. I'm sure it's nothing, but let's just stay on alert."

"Which is why I'm saying, not all of you should be going," Zoro said with exasperation.

"It's the two of you – I'm sure you'll be okay. Besides if there's any damage to _Sunny_ , these guys have to repair it, fast. Don't be a wimp."

By the time they all left, Zoro was still at the table eating, beer finished, and Zeff handed Law the tray.

"Take good care of him," he advised with a smirk, Law flushing with sweaty embarrassment, confirming Zeff's suspicions. He couldn't help but reach out and swat his back with friendly action, the catman slinking away carefully.

Zoro then laughed, saying nothing, but Zeff figured that Zoro knew the truth, considering how he was smelling the other man. He then turned and kicked Carne, seeing that the man wasn't moving fast enough to clean.

: :

By the time the catman came back, Sanji still didn't know what to say. But he started washing up, scrubbing at himself and feeling bad for his own reaction. Maybe he _was_ thinking too much like his family – thinking there was glory in conquering another – and he felt ashamed in that.

He didn't want to think that way. When Law came to him with an extra towel and a worried look, Sanji let him help him out. He took a few moments to consider his gentle hands toweling him off, mindful of all the damaged places, and he did appreciate the way, despite Sanji's earlier show of bluster, Law kissed those stinging marks on his upper back.

"They're healing so fast," he observed, touching the marks that were yellowed, looking less gruesome than they did earlier.

He wrapped Sanji up and helped him back to the main room, where he had gone into his apartment for extra clothes for him. He had picked up a pair of turquoise sweatpants with a v-neck t-shirt with a turtle on the left corner, colored in bright neon green, with sunglasses. Hideous, really, but Sanji really liked these types of things. He'd also grabbed the thick green cardigan hanging in the closet, and when Sanji put them all in, he looked quite content in them. The presentation made Law's eyes hurt.

After he had Sanji resettled in clean blankets, he threw the others into the washer, part of the stacked laundry set near the unused kitchen. Sanji sat carefully, smelling food and hearing his stomach growl as a result. Law was then back at his side with a small tray, which had a large bowl of steaming soup, some crackers.

"Zeff said to eat this," he said gruffly, blowing on the steamy bowl before handing it to him. "Chicken noodle, or something."

Sanji stared at him with confusion of his own, taking the bowl carefully from him. He watched when Law left him, and took a shower of his own. Minutes passed, and Sanji just looked at the bowl with his stomach growling, waiting. When Law returned to him, having redressed in jeans, an oversized long sleeved sweater with stripes, his feet bare, he looked troubled that Sanji had yet to eat.

Sanji finally ate a couple of bites before asking, "You'll have breakfast, too?"

"No, I'm not…hungry."

Sanji frowned at him, then scooped up a spoonful, holding it out to him. When Law made to refuse it, he said firmly, "It'll upset me if you don't eat, too."

He felt small joy in him as Law hesitated, then took the spoonful carefully. After ensuring that they had equal amount of the soup, Sanji halved the crackers between them. After they were finished, Sanji felt tired. "Where's Tony?"

"In your room, I suppose."

"Tell him I'm here."

"Yes, boss," Law said sarcastically, getting up and doing it anyway, Sanji mumbling the word to himself and liking the sound of it. When they returned, Tony greeted him with a cheerful sound, and Sanji made himself comfortable as the creature settled up against him, sloshing soundly. He patted the top of its head, scratched its oddly shaped antlers, then laid back so that the creature was resting up against him, cooing.

After a few moments, he then held a hand out, gesturing with it. Law looked at his hand with hesitation, unmoving. Sanji looked up at him, holding his lips firmly. With heavy movement, Law took his hand, and let the man pull him down with him. Tony chirped again, crawling over Sanji's chest, the cold of his body radiating from him like a block of ice.

Holding onto his gaze, Sanji rolled over to face him, Tony falling between them and hurriedly scrambling back over. Sanji reached between them to hold onto his hip, thumb moving over the material of his shirt, before slipping underneath and making contact with bare skin.

"I thought about what you said," Sanji said low. "I…feel bad for thinking the way I did. I was confused."

"I should have just told you, talked to you first, but I honestly…I thought I would have better control over myself. But I lost it. And I couldn't think to stop."

"I shouldn't be angry that you are…caring. That is not weakness," Sanji said, more to himself. "Not that…I still think in terms of…strength, and it was…automatic to assume that this was that sort of display. So I was very angry when you weren't…proud. I still…have things to learn."

Law looked him over, seeing the remorse on his features. "Do you forgive me, then?"

"Yes," Sanji said firmly, looking at him. "You, too?"

"Yes." And because the moment asked for it, he guided Sanji's chin up, kissing him gently. He liked the feel of his soft lips, limp at first, then matching his action. A few minutes of gentle exploration, coupled with Sanji's hand on his bare skin did cause him rising interest to continue, but Sanji pulled away, sensing it.

"Stay til I sleep," he then muttered, pressing his forehead against his neck.

"I'm sorry."

"No more apologies. Better next time. Just love me, that's all I need right now."

"Okay."

Tony gave another sound, crawling over both of them for a few times, looking for the best place to settle. It found a spot near the edge and rolled over on its back, pulling all its limbs and antlers into itself until it looked like a watery mass that glimmered in the sunlight from the window. Satisfied with their positioning, Sanji felt himself relax. He laid there in silence, just thinking about things, his thumb moving absently for some time until that stopped. He fell asleep listening to the other's slow breathing and heart beat, and Law just laid there, unsure of what to think or feel. He looked down at the other man, reaching between them to run his fingers through his hair, to rub the length of his arm, still clutching his hip. The thing at the edge of the bed was snoring, a bubbly sound, and Law could see its brain, or heart, whatever – glimmering just beneath the surface of its mass.

With a heavy exhale, he settled his head upon his other arm, and stared at the other man's face, feeling troubled. It wasn't long until he fell asleep as well, arm slung over his, and when he woke up, it was because he heard a strange sound.

He lifted his head, ears flicking curiously as he tried to place what exactly had woken him up. A brief scan of the room showed him nothing, but movement from the corner of his eye showed him that Tony's head was lifting up with silent movement as well. Something made Law extremely nervous, and he quickly rolled over Sanji, hunching low over his body protectively as all senses rose to alert. Something in the room _felt wrong_. Tony suddenly grew in size, expanding around them, giving a strange sort of growl.

From the corner of the room near the partition, movement happened. Law recognized that whomever it was was using a three-hundred sixty degree wraparound of their figure. Tony gave a startling loud hiss that sounded like steam erupting, hardening into ice in some parts of him.

"Don't you dare teleport," came the smooth voice, working through a translator that seemed to operate faster than the ones on Nami's, on their personal devices. "And get this thing out of my way."

"Who are you?" Law demanded, feeling his hackles rise, pulling Sanji up, the blond giving a startled mumble as he found himself being forced into a sitting position. Then he froze at the feel of a hand on his back, and both of them seized as the shocking sensation caused both of them to tense up, unable to move for several moments. His arms locked around Sanji tightly before both fell to the side, laughter falling over them.

Law felt heavy weights on his ankles, a sharp enclosure that made his skin crawl. A feeble glance down showed him a pair of shackles with an oddly glowing trim, and nothing in him seemed to hold any strength to him. He found that he couldn't even summon the strength to hold onto Sanji anymore, or create a Room to get them out of danger.

Tony was suddenly over both of them, hardening to ice.

"Damn it, Niji! Get that thing off them before they get the mind back to move!"

"If I touch it, I will _die_ ," Niji snarled, revealing himself as Ichiji moved in with a frown, Tony hissing at both of them as he hardened himself to a thick block of ice. The temperature in the room changed, growing hot and dry, having both of them cough as he stole the moisture to do so.

Inside the ice structure, Sanji recovered faster, exhaling heavily as he looked through Tony's ice walls, seeing his brothers crowd around them. He looked over Law with intense worry, unsure of why he looked so weak and exhausted, spying the shackles moments later. He went to them, unable to figure out what they were, breathing hard with building panic.

"Hope you didn't get too comfortable, you little bastard," Ichiji said grimly, trying to look through Tony's walls to his brother. "You make this easy for us. We won't go room to room to find that old man you were so keen on reuniting with. But I do find it questionable, this cozy scene we walked into."

"Fucking _gross_ ," Niji commented, slamming a fist over the hard block of ice, Tony hissing at him as he retreated his head into the safety of the enclosure. "Not only are you a piece of rat trash, you seem to _favor_ beasts for your bedmates! Disgusting! Get out of there, so I can kick your ass!"

"Niji, stand post at the door, let me talk to him," Ichiji said, revealing himself then, wearing his red battle suit as his brother grumbled, and exchanged places with him. Ichiji looked down towards Sanji, crossing his arms over his chest. He couldn't quite see him, but he'd seen enough of his younger brother so far to see that his coloring was similar to their mother's. He was smaller than they were. Cozy in the arms of some half beast.

He crouched down so that he was near face to face with Sanji, tapping on the wall between them. Removing his sunglasses, he looked at the blurry face that peered back at him, and while he couldn't quite read the emotion on Sanji's face, Ichiji could tell that Sanji was in distress.

"It's been long time, brother," Ichiji said low. "It's truly amazing that you survived father's intentions. I admit, I didn't believe Yonji at first – but this chase has led us all throughout every Blue, and we've finally caught up. It appears you haven't even made the motion to reveal yourself to others. Why?"

Sanji listened to the smooth voice of his older brother. His mind was working quickly, trying to focus. But his chest felt tight, and his lungs heavy, and panic made thinking difficult. He swallowed tightly, unsure of what to say. But he slowed his racing heart and focused on the blurry outline of Ichiji.

"Why should I?" he asked in their language. "Why should I brag where I came from?"

"I get where you're coming from. If you admitted you were a part of us, _we_ would feel shame that someone like you came from the most powerful Empire on this side of the universe," Ichiji said calmly. "But look, we've been on the road for some time, and I'm tired of looking at our brothers' faces. I would like to get home. You come with us calmly, cooperatively, and we won't kill _every_ one of your friends."

Sanji exhaled low, fear at his throat. He thought of Zeff, of the potential these two had to draw out anybody's death. He thought of the rats the brothers had deliberately destroyed in front of him, killing the pests through torture and laughs.

"Why are you even thinking about it?" Niji complained, kicking the running washer, bending the metal. "I wanna go home! This place sucks! All this water – fuck all this dopey effort to resist! We're picking up where fucking Yonji couldn't do it. You don't want to go against us, fag."

Sanji scowled, feeling that place burn underneath his ribcage, where all his anger and hate was stored. He glared at the face of his older brother, breathing slowly, steadily as he considered his options. He looked over at the shackles on Law's ankles, reaching over to pull at them. Tony's head popped in to look at him, almond shaped eyes rounded with worry. Sanji gestured at the shackles, whispering to him. That part of Tony shrunk inward as it reached towards the metal, coating it with a heavy formation.

"You're taking too long," Ichiji decided, straightening up as ice crackled, popped, and Sanji saw the light fizz before disappearing completely. He looked to Law to see if it worked, but the catman looked out of it, barely conscious. He pulled at the slender chain, breaking it with some effort, but he couldn't remove the thicker cuffs themselves.

Then he ducked as Ichiji unloaded a rifle blaster into the wall of ice, which caused it to shrink and break, showering them with ice shards. Sanji reacted immediately, kicking out with a high crescent kick and catching the rifle's barrel. Once he knocked the gun off aim, he ducked the predicted swing of Ichiji's free fist, side-stepped to the right, and rammed his knee into his brother's suit. As he thought, it didn't dent or cause him injury, but it did get him close enough to grab the tea thermos atop of the tray near the futon. He uncapped it as he stepped back and flung the contents into Ichiji's face.

His brother stumbled back with a sputter, shouting out with pain as Sanji caught sight of Niji racing forward with a wide grin.

"You want a fight, brother?" he shouted, fist lighting up with power as Sanji set himself. He ducked the controlled swing – noting that Niji threw from the shoulder – fell forward in a handstand, catching him in the lower jaw with his heel. Niji stumbled, and Sanji lifted a hand, and whirled into a sweeping kick that knocked Niji off his feet and back into Ichiji, sending both of them toppling over each other.

Tony swept up in that moment, the room overwhelmingly hot as he grew in size. With a loud, monstrous roar, he formed himself into something frightening – his limbs long and stringy, his form hunched and thin, and his mouth open as he emitted a scream that caused blood to freeze. Both brothers scrambled to get out of his way as his arm swept down on them, slamming through the mats of the floor, crumbling that section of the apartment, knocking debris into the level below. Sanji raced to Law, hurriedly helped him into a seated position. As Tony moved after Ichiji and Niji, Sanji pulled Law after him, and used the hole created by Tony to fall onto the floor below. They landed in an empty apartment, a storage area with everyone's extras. As the floor above their heads shifted and creaked, Sanji hastily struggled to get Law on his feet. But he seemed to drag, his weight cumbersome, and it was the shackles that caused him this trouble.

Still, Sanji managed to get them to the door, which he kicked out. As they entered the main hall, the floor above them rumbled again, and he made his way to the staircase, hoping no one else was around. Hoping Zeff wasn't still upstairs.

From behind him, Ichiji appeared, slamming his way through the floor and landed with neat grace in the hallway. It sounded like Niji was fighting off Tony, shouting and cursing as he did so, and Ichiji began running towards Sanji with a frown. Sanji pushed Law aside to meet him halfway, jumping forward and using both feet to stop him. Ichiji caught himself with a faint grunt, reaching out to grab Sanji's shoulders. He whirled around, slamming him against the wall, causing plaster to flutter around them. Sanji grunted, but he ducked under one hand and thrust an elbow out, catching Ichiji in the throat. Then he drove him backward, slamming him off the wall behind, then kicking forward with a hard grunt. Ichiji bounced off the wall, but came at him with a hard swing, Sanji barely avoiding impact as he slammed hard into Ichiji, reaching down to grab his waist.

With effort, he pulled him off the wall, then dropped his back leg, twisting at the waist to slam Ichiji down onto the hallway floor, his brother giving a loud curse as he hit. Once he did, Sanji scrambled over him – reaching for the door he'd kicked out and throwing it over head at him. Ichiji punched his way out through that, then began moving towards him once more. He was just a few feet away when he gave a startled noise, Sanji stopping in mid motion to see that something didn't look right.

There were two swords sticking out of him, from ribs to stomach, and he was lifted completely off his feet, irking noises of pain. Zoro twisted around and kicked him forward, Ichiji sliding off his blades and hitting the floor in a pile of blood and strangled noises.

At that moment, water rained down from the floor below, Niji followed right after, panting heavily. He caught sight of his brother, Ichiji pushing himself to his hands and knees, spilling blood over the floor. Tony twisted away from them, losing strength in his size.

Zoro looked at it with a bewildered expression, asking around Wadou, "What the fuck is that?"

Sanji caught Tony before he could collapse, the Water Mite weak after exerting so much energy and power in fighting. He gestured at Zoro to come to them, then gestured at the shackles around Law's ankles.

"What's wrong with you? This some sort of kink?" Zoro asked, glancing back at the brothers before examining the metal. He then looked at Law, noting how lethargic he was. He would not be of any help to them in this state, and it startled Zoro, crouching at his side with concern. He leaned in to take a lick of his forehead, tasting his sweat – but he didn't taste anything related to drugs, to illness, and frowned as he looked at the shackles again.

"It's _these_ , don't lick him," Sanji snapped at him, reaching over to push him.

"I don't know until I _know_ ," Zoro snapped back, positioning himself over those shackles.

"Niji! Don't let him help him!" Ichiji snapped, Niji straightening away from him, and charging towards them. Zoro lifted his swords moving away from Law and Sanji to met Niji in the middle.

Niji's armor caught the blades as Zoro moved swiftly, slashing at him. The sounds of each block rang shrill in the air, and Niji started to laugh as Zoro attacked him, aiming to stick him. The hallway was narrow, and Zoro ended up slashing through one wall, getting another stuck. All he did was adjust, twist, pull, and continued the attack. Niji's fist would embed into the wall, catch the floor, twist in an exposed support, but both of them continued fighting each other without slowing down. The hallway became a mess of destruction, wood flying, plaster shattering, metal bending. One wall fell slowly, exposing an empty apartment as dust flew around them, and wood creaked in protest.

Zoro ducked under Niji's punches, his fists glowing every third swing, trying to catch Zoro off guard. When arms didn't work, Niji stepped in with a knee, with a low kick – everything that Zoro evaded or fended off, pushing that brother towards the other. As they drew near, Ichiji clutched his chest, breathing hard, then grit his teeth. He stood up, arms up and fists curled.

He charged in, hitting his own brother from behind, causing Niji to slam into Zoro; Zoro crossed his swords over his body just to keep Niji from falling on him, but Ichiji crouched, then shot forward. He charged into both of them, slamming into Niji's back and driving them hard. Zoro stepped back to brace himself, but tripped over a broken piece of wood, and he and Niji slammed down hard onto the floor, Ichiji running over both of them to charge at Sanji.

Sanji quickly tossed Tony to the side and made to meet him, but Ichiji ducked underneath his kick and drove into him, both arms wrapped tight around his waist. Ichiji slammed him hard into the floor, then mounted his chest, to start swinging. Sanji pushed himself hard between his legs, Ichiji growling as he had to shift to catch him, but Sanji's leg came up and hit him atop of the head, shattering his glasses. The moment that happened, Sanji twisted and jumped on him from the side, then leaned in and bit him in the side of the neck. He pulled back from him with mouthful of skin and muscle, Ichiji howling as Niji looked on with horror, Zoro slowly pushing himself back to his feet.

Tasting blood, Sanji felt himself salivating. For a moment, he was caught with the horror of enjoying the taste, and the memory of starving. Warm human flesh, with the heavy metallic taste of blood made him inhale deeply. Ichiji screamed, reaching up to clasp a hand over his neck. But even as he did so, muscle repaired itself, skin stretching over the wound like an animated creature. Seeing this, Sanji pulled back from him.

But he was frozen in mid-chew, and Ichiji stood, rising to face him with a hiss of breath. Meeting Ichiji's exposed eyes, Sanji bared his teeth. Then chewed slowly, swallowing with a look of satisfaction.

" _Monster_! Beast! Disgusting, you dirty _rat_!" Ichiji shouted with horror, face twisted with revulsion.

"Did he just _eat_ you?" Niji cried with alarm.

"What the hell, psycho?" Zoro exclaimed.

Sanji wiped his mouth, a little bothered by the rush he felt in the unnatural action. But he said nothing, his insides warmed with the familiar taste of human flesh. Not only that, but he felt rejuvenated, injuries burning lightly. He felt more mobile, stronger. More awake. That rush he felt in consuming human flesh – _to live_ – hit him hard. For a moment, he was between memory – of being here, of being in the cell, enjoying fresh meat after long periods of going without.

He chuckled low, aware that his face was showing too much pleasure with the act. Ichiji just looked horrified, stepping back as Sanji wiped his face again, smearing his blood over his chin and cheeks.

He laughed lightly before he licked his lips, then licked his fingers. "Why are you so repulsed? Father, all of you – you made this. Don't act shocked."

"You are a _beast_!" Ichiji hissed at him, unconsciously touching his neck, holding it. It was completely healed, but this memory was definitely going to haunt him, later. "Unnatural! _Freak_! No wonder father tried so hard to be rid of you!"

"He didn't try hard enough."

" _Reject_. Failure. Freak!"

Sanji smiled grimly. Seeing that he had his older brother's utter disgust on his side, he stepped forward, eyes locked on Ichiji's horrified expression. "Come here, Ichiji. I'm _starved_. I haven't eaten anything like that for so long, and your meat tasted yummy…"


	19. Shots Fired

**A/N:** **my life is not in my control, again.** **DX THANKS TO ALL THAT REVIEWED AND CHECK IN TO THIS CRAZY STORY OF MINE**

 **Moony-F: You'll probably not expect *this * to happen, too DX**

 **HDMX: Yeah...for now...it's LawSan.**

 **TomTom: Law and Zoro's bitching will not stop - especially after this chapter. XD It's just going to get worse...**

 **AN: Ah, thank you! I'm happy that peeps are enjoying the characters that I've done for this story - i try to keep them different with each story so they're not always the same. The DQ brothers' reaction to Law's decision should be coming up, soon.  
**

 **19: Shots Fired**

"Fuck you, you _monstrosity_!" Ichiji snarled, face twisting up with horror, preparing to move. "I'll bring your body back for father, to see where he went wrong!"

Sanji wiped at his face, but still ended up smearing blood over his skin, slightly dizzy from the urge to consume. The memory of having nothing to eat other than human meat kept reminding him that this action was acceptable; he had to do it to survive. He wasn't starving anymore but there was no easy way to escape this need once he had a taste of it, again.

Ichiji frowned at him, seeing that his pupils were dilated, that his breathing seemed a little labored – struggling with internal needs. It disgusted him how another human being could desire the meat of another.

"Better kick his ass, Ichiji!" Niji crowed. "Make that human reject regret survival!"

Setting himself, Sanji waited for Ichiji to speed in close, then bent back, kicking upward with one foot, catching Ichiji up in the chin. The man actually left the floor a couple of feet before Sanji whirled around and followed up with a wide kick that knocked Ichiji clear through a couple of apartments, emerging through the cold, wintery air.

Niji was on his feet in moments, looking at the damage caused by Ichiji's flying form. Then he looked back at Sanji, stomping back on Zoro as the tiger made to rise. Sanji then turned to face him, set into a defensive position. Law gaped at the damage, then put things together, finding weight to his earlier theories, looking at Sanji with consideration.

"Interesting," Niji murmured, ignoring Zoro for the moment. Zoro stared at the damage done, then looked back with an awestruck expression as he rose to his feet. He'd known that Zeff had been training him, but not to this degree. "You weren't that strong, or fast, earlier."

Sanji said nothing to him, watching him warily. The brothers stared at each other for a few moments, before Niji said low, "Those are Ichiji's traits that you stole. _That's_ how you survived in those cells. You and your little rat friends _ate_ the prisoners dad tossed down there. You _disgusting_ monstrosity. _That's_ how you did it! It's only fitting for something like you, a lowly servant's jack off! You never fit in with us, but you fit in with the rats and trash! How'd it feel like, wasting away with our leftovers, you disgusting shit stain?"

Niji then laughed as Sanji looked calmly at him, not reacting. Clapping his hands, Niji continued with, "This is so rich! But it makes sense! Not only were you chowing down on Germa prisoners, you were absorbing their traits – which makes me burp with my own vomit, to think you'd even - ! But that's how you did it, right? _Right_? Tell me I'm right! I just want to be right with this!"

Sanji continued to say nothing, but his rigid silence told Niji enough.

Hand over his mouth, Niji swallowed a few times, pausing in his display. Then cleared his throat, saying, "I think dad will have a good time with this. Even if you didn't take to the modifications like we did, you took to _something_. You can borrow ours through _eating_ us – repulsive. _Foul_. Dad should've ground you up and fed you to the rats as a damn child – "

" _Enough_ with your shit!" Zoro shouted at him, glaring at him. Niji looked back at him, remembering that he was there. "Pretty sure you wouldn't last a day where he did. Your hands are baby soft, you're most likely more pampered than the princess over there!"

Niji scowled at him before he examined his hands. Zoro couldn't see his eyes from behind those goggles of his, which made him wonder if he even had eyes at all. That headset Niji wore made him wonder if he used another form of sensory perception to detect them, or if it were a communicator – definitely a translator, because he heard every word after a moment's lag.

"You're right, you green pussy. They are. _Smooth_ as silk. Because when I finally get saddled with a wife, she'll get these soft ass hands across her mouth, instead of manly stubs like yours. Can't have her marked up all the time, like that bitch dad called 'mother'."

At the growl from behind him, he turned just in time to block the wild swing of Sanji's fist, then moved to kick him. He sidestepped quickly, and kicked him back, managing to move him several feet away, Zoro hastily scrambling out of the path. He made his way over to Law as he saw that Sanji was able to handle his own brother. He felt that assisting Sanji with this battle was only interfering – he'd step in only when it looked like Sanji needed it.

Zoro hastily looked at the cuffs around Law's ankles – they were thick and cumbersome, glowing, and the material, though heavy, didn't budge as he pulled at them himself.

"What _is_ this shit?" Zoro cursed, withdrawing his swords to start hacking, watching the blades bounce off the thick cuffs, causing only metallic noises. Then he crouched, pushing the blade between his leg and cuff, and pulled upward, sawing with desperation.

"I've never felt this, before," Law confessed tightly, bewildered at how useless he felt. "It's as if it were draining my strength from inside out!"

"You're such a wimp!"

"Fuck you, tiger!"

Niji righted himself, huffing as he faced Sanji. "Oh, did that bother you? Don't like anything negative said about the dear old bat that carried us? Not that she was a mother to me, no – all she ever had to say was smug shit, like, ' _Stop hitting your brother_ , Niji! He's _delicate_! _Take care of him_!' Dumb ass broad didn't know what she was talking about – if she knew you gobbled up human flesh like it were the last meal you'd ever have, I wonder what she'd think of you, now?"

There was a small tic in Sanji's visible eye that made Niji smirk, lowering himself to move.

"Hit a sore spot? I'm nothing like Ichiji, though. He'd hit it even worse," he said, shooting forward, catching Sanji off guard. Both of them tumbled down the stairway, cursing at every impact.

Zoro then remembered his wrist-comm, so he flicked that on.

" _Whhhhaattt_?" Nami asked, frowning at him.

"They're here! Hurry up! Come back!" Zoro said, giving up on that cuff, and looking at Law with a shake of his head. He didn't hear Nami's response, hearing that Sanji had Niji on the retreat, cursing aloud as he struggled to keep his brother at bay.

"Go! I'll figure this out," Law said, having a hard time speaking as the cuffs continued to drain his energy. Zoro looked at the Water Mite that coasted slowly towards them, panting tightly. He didn't know what it was, but he wasn't going to stick around to ask. He turned around as the creature gave a small whistle, absorbing the moisture in the air to grow once more.

Down in the lobby, Niji was on his feet, fists lit as he attacked Sanji, Sanji throwing up his arms to block every one. He felt himself being driven back, Niji's attacks fast and quick, but he also felt himself losing strength. Panting heavily, Sanji kicked out, catching him in the chin, then following up with a switch kick that knocked Niji back. He jumped forward to slam into him, driving him back first through the glass doors and into the street, and Niji rolled hastily, hands up against Sanji's neck to keep that mouth away from him.

Ichiji lunged in with a punch as Niji then pushed Sanji into his pathway. When the fist connected, Sanji left the street and slammed through a window a short distance away, customers screaming in dismay. For a few moments he struggled to catch his breath, looking up at the ceiling lights as people moved away from him with startled exclamations. From the smell of the place, he was knocked right into the corner café, where he liked to go with Brook.

Niji was after him in moments, picking him up from the floor, women shrieking in fright as he snapped up Sanji by his cardigan, and threw him overhead towards the street. Sanji hit the pavement, skidding a short distance before he could catch himself. He looked over to seeing Ichiji advance on him, and he pushed himself up to attack him as Niji climbed out of the broken window.

Ichiji met Sanji fist for fist, then ducked down, sweeping his legs out from underneath him. Sanji grabbed at the pavement, then twisted, kicking as Ichiji came in to grab again, but once he did, Niji grabbed him by his hair and yanked him from Ichiji. Giving a pained shout, Sanji grabbed those vicious hands and felt the shock down to his toes as Niji laughed.

"This is almost like old times!" he exclaimed. "You were useless in a fight back then, too!"

Ichiji started kicking him, cursing about being bitten, while Niji dragged Sanji out of his reach. Muscles stiffened by the shock, Sanji winced as he felt himself bodily hauled up from the street, held up by Niji in a half-nelson as Ichiji advanced.

"Give me a one-two-one, bro," Niji said, Ichiji smirking as he balled up his fists, Sanji tensing.

His older brother drove in a few body shots that left him breathless, unable to cry out. Before Ichiji could hit him again, Zoro plowed right into him, slamming him into the street. Niji dropped Sanji and ran after them, Sanji curling up with pain, trying to get his breath back. Shaking, Sanji pushed up to his feet, wheezing. He then stumbled in their direction, and pushed himself to a hard jump, landing onto Niji's back.

His brother yelped, stumbling forward, reaching back to grab him as Sanji then curled his arms around his shoulders, and slammed both feet into the small of his back, causing him to stumble again, tripping over Zoro as Zoro fought Ichiji. Both Sanji and Niji hit the pavement in a tumble of limbs before Niji recovered faster and grabbed Sanji by the hair, kicking him full force in the face.

" _Bitch_!" he snarled, slamming his heel over and over down onto his head. "I'll knock out every one of your fucking teeth! You'll be swallowing smoothies for the rest of your fucking life!"

He exhaled harshly as he was kicked forcefully from behind. This wasn't an ordinary kick – he went sailing through the café, slamming through wall after wall before slamming face first into a traffic light. The pole rattled noisily, and startled pedestrians looked at him with surprised horror, running from the scene. His brain rattling around, Niji slumped to the sidewalk with a gurgle.

Zeff hastily crouched, Carne dropping his groceries as the other man picked Sanji up from the pavement. The blond was unconscious, deadweight, and Zeff looked to Zoro and Ichiji, seeing them trade punches before Ichiji kicked out and away, and Zoro was able to draw his swords again. Zeff cradled the man in his arms before moving back towards the apartment, Carne following after him.

"Get him to the basement, hide him – where's the other fucking cat?" Zeff then cursed, unable to see Law anywhere.

Before Carne could do so, hands out as Zeff made to hand Sanji to him, Yonji slammed into both of them, bulldozing them over the pavement and slamming them both into the nearby building. Sanji hit the sidewalk in the process, but didn't move as brick and mortar cracked, Yonji laughing as he pulled away from them. He swept debris from his cape, glancing over to see how Ichiji was doing, but, as usual, his older brother knew well how to defend himself.

"Dumbasses! Stay out of this! This is family drama, nothing to do with you!" Yonji exclaimed, kicking Carne as the man made to pull himself up from the rubble. "Old ass losers!"

" _You're_ the loser, you loud mouthed whelp!" Carne exclaimed, catching his foot and twisting it, throwing him off balance. Yonji caught himself, then followed through with a kick that knocked the man off his feet, sliding down the sidewalk.

"You call that a kick?" Zeff asked, whirling around and catching Yonji directly in the back – Yonji found himself plowing through street poles, a tree, and slammed through two car windows before hitting the pavement. He slammed up against a truck parked next to the sidewalk, the alarm ringing out with piercing intensity.

"Fucking old man," he muttered, spitting out blood as he pushed himself up to his feet, wobbly. He went in one direction, then another before stumbling back their way. "That kick ain't shit. Didn't hurt me, none. Lookit, still standing. Punk ass bitch."

Zeff snorted, barely able to understand the curses that came from a bleeding mouth. Hands on his hips, he waited for the green man to thrust aside the car he'd flown through, every step a chore. Then he charged at Zeff with a growing yell, head lowered. Zeff wound up, balancing himself neatly before kicking over him, but twisting violently to catch him in the back, using his own momentum into a hard blast through their apartment building. Yonji slammed through the lobby, broke through three walls and emerged from the other side, only to slam through the shop, toppling that before coming to a rest against a fencepole that faced the park.

Dizzy, he sat there for some time, trying to understand what happened to him.

Seeing that Yonji was down, Zeff looked back over to seeing Ichiji and Zoro still battling each other. He made to go to find Law when men in white and black suits began running up from a nearby alleyway, carrying guns. They began spreading out, calling out orders to each other as enemies were assessed.

"Damn it! _Niji_!" Ichiji shouted with dismay, watching the clones separate and start firing at Zoro, at Zeff. Zoro hastily defended himself against the blasters, having to move quick to do so, alarmed at how easy they were being forced back from the scene. Zeff found himself unable to get to Sanji, but he used his kick to take down a lightpole, then kicked the length of it into an advancing group of clones, plowing them over. Those unaffected climbed over them and advanced, and he had to move as those blasters came dangerously close to ending him. "All of you! Round them up! Don't kill!"

Niji stumbled onto the scene, holding his ribs, breathing heavily. Giving him a look of disappointment, Ichiji snapped, "This was supposed to be only us on scene! To make less of a show!"

"They called reinforcements," Niji snapped at him, the clones moving around them to capture Zoro and Zeff. "You think you can take on _all_ of them?"

"Damn it, if I had to, then that's how it'd be!"

"Oh, bother, don't be such a show off," Niji muttered, rubbing his back.

With a low growl, Ichiji marched towards their unconscious brother on the pavement, pulling him up under one arm. He looked around, seeing the clones' blasters lighting up the street. Despite his earlier order, they'd shot Carne dead, but were swarming around Zeff – he couldn't see where Zoro was, but there was a group of clones moving hastily around the corner, so he assumed that was where they were.

"HOLD!" he then shouted at the clones surrounding Zeff, marching over as Niji followed painfully, holding his head.

The clones settled, keeping their circle tight on the older man, who looked at Ichiji with a defiant stare. Ichiji dropped Sanji to the pavement, then crouched behind him, forcing his head up.

"Wake up, freak," he said, grabbing hold of Sanji's jaw, shaking his head a few times until he started to respond. " _Wake up_."

Once Sanji sputtered awake, his eyes blearily focusing ahead of him and recognizing what was happening, he stilled. Horror crossed his features as he saw that the clones had Zeff in their sights, that there was no one to intervene. The street was damaged by their battle, but there were no familiar faces in sight. He felt fear and pain seize his chest, smother his lungs – for a moment, he was back in the cell, watching as his two older brothers tortured a helpless rat, laughing at his response. Only this time, it was Zeff, and Sanji heard his breath come short and fast, looking desperately for something to use, for someone to arrive at the last minute.

From behind him, Ichiji said low, "Look your last, brother. It's the last you'll see him take breath."

Ichiji tightened his grip as Sanji made to look away, but Zeff said firmly, "Sanji. It's sooner than later. You're a good boy. I regret nothing."

Eyes reddening, Sanji understood, but nothing could stop him from feeling the devastation he felt at this predicament.

He tried to say " _Thank you_ ," for everything that Zeff had given him, but his throat was too tight, his lungs small.

"What a _loser_ , can't even save the bigger rat that fed him," Niji snickered. "Your shitty efforts were in vain, old man! _Die_ knowing you failed him!"

Ichiji forced Sanji to watch as the clones fired upon Zeff at that moment. Niji laughed as witnesses watched with horror. Walking upon the scene, Yonji rubbed his head, and saw what his brothers were doing. He stood there silently, watching as Ichiji whispered something into Sanji's ear, forcing him to watch the old man die in front of him. The clones shifted away, awaiting the next order. Ichiji shoved Sanji away from him, the smaller brother barely able to catch himself as Zeff's blood flowed over the sidewalk, dripping down onto the street.

In the midst of the scene, Sanji said nothing – his face was frozen. But he did reach for the outstretched limb closest to him, intending to touch the warmth of the older man's hand. Once he did, his fingers clasped Zeff's for those precious seconds, his throat tight. Niji and Ichiji looked proud of themselves for a few moments before Ichiji kicked Sanji in the ribs, then stepped on his hand.

"Let's _go_ , your real father wants a word with you," Ichiji commanded, reaching down to grab Sanji by his hair, dragging him until he was able to get to his feet.

Yonji looked over the old man that lay dead on the sidewalk, frowning tightly. He was a little surprised to see that he wasn't _crying_ – not like how when they were kids, and Sanji cried because they'd killed his pets, or beat him so badly that he had trouble standing.

Yonji then followed after them, frowning, rubbing his chest as his torso still ached where Zeff had kicked him. It was a shame how he wouldn't again be able to go up against those kicks, again – Yonji had to give him props for being able to cause him such damage with only one goddamn leg. He felt disappointed, like he'd missed an opportunity to prove himself.

"Be glad I was merciful, today. I could've drawn it out," Ichiji said harshly, catching sight of Yonji. He gave him a startled expression, Niji looking back with surprise. " _You_ were supposed to stay with the ship!"

"I got bored waiting! C'mon, man, like I'm supposed to just wait around while you guys have all the fun? BOR-ring!" Yonji exclaimed, arms out with emphasis.

"You're fucking up, Yonji!"

"Shut up with your two cents, Niji!" Yonji looked around with interest, observing the city high above them, the sights of the crammed buildings beyond them. "Man, this place is really bright. And the air is fresh."

"Nothing to write home about. Here. Take him." Ichiji pushed Sanji at him, and Yonji held him at arm's length, looking at his older brothers with a frown. After having seen him the first time, Yonji noticed that Sanji was in much better condition – his back was straightened out, his coloring was healthy, and he seemed to glow like their mother did. He was still smaller than they – shorter by a few inches, slender, and those clothes were horrible to look at – but that cardigan looked nice and warm, he had to admit. His face was still frozen, showing nothing that revealed what he felt, but his breath was slow and harsh, as if he were running a long distance.

"Earth is a shitbowl," Niji noticed, looking around with a frown.

"Lucky we have nothing more to do with it," Ichiji grumbled. "All these rats clustered around such a small space, taking up all the oxygen – we should be merciful and nuke it from orbit."

"YOU FUCKING JERKS!"

They heard a shout, followed by a stretching sound. Ichiji turned around with a surprised look, before catching Luffy's fist to the face full on. Both of them tumbled head over heels as Niji reacted with a start, and Yonji shook Sanji with excitement after recognizing his brother's attacker.

"It's that rubber guy! _Guys_! The rubber guy I was telling you about!" he shouted enthusiastically.

"Great, then that means the others caught up," Niji cursed, looking behind them.

"How dare you think you can come over here and hurt my friends like this? Who the fuck do you think you are?" Luffy cried furiously, holding onto Ichiji's battle armor with both hands before shifting to start punching. Ichiji took a few hits but then threw an uppercut of his own, catching him upside the chin. Once he had the space needed, he tackled Luffy hard, causing them to slam into a moving car that shifted off the road and into the sidewalk. The driver screamed, stepping on the gas, the car speeding forward and leaving them in the pavement.

Luffy drew back a fist, and slammed it forward, catching Ichiji in the face –Ichiji's frowned, but he held onto that wrist as Luffy's other hand curled up into a fist and plowed forward. Ichiji's hand began to glow red, and Luffy looked at their connection with alarm, eyes widening. The explosion caught both of them, but it was Luffy that was sent sailing away, slamming into the sidewalk with a huge exhalation. Ichiji followed his descent with a smug half smile, smoke lifting from his hand as it returned to normal.

Franky pulled up and began firing his blasters from his arm, Bepo running forward with a curse. Niji turned to kick him, but Bepo was faster, blocking his kick with his shin before punching hard, Ichiji turning and returning fire at Franky. Brook was there with his sword at the ready, charging at them. He swept through the two of them, Bepo dancing back before he caught Sanji around the waist and pulled him from line of danger. Ichiji turned to look at Brook with startled action, Niji touching his face before their armor burst from their bodies with shrill noises, causing them to stumble in alarm.

"ATTACK!" Ichiji shouted, their clones charging in and firing at the group, causing all of them to retreat. "Get SANJI!"

"Eat shit!" Luffy shouted, slamming into him once more, knocking him off his feet. This time, without most of his armor to take the hit, Ichiji felt his breath knocked right out of him. Luffy expanded in size, then pushed forward with a massive fist that sent him flying over the street, rolling and slamming into a couple of cars, forcing them out of their parking spaces.

With their blasters going off everywhere, the clones separated, chasing after Bepo. Bepo ducked and cursed as he ran from them, Sanji over one arm. Skillfully, he ran up the length of one alleyway wall, then formed a back flip, right into the center of the group chasing him. He kicked outward, jumping and reacting, sending clones flying. He grabbed a blaster and began shooting them, hitting them dead on.

"C'mon, kid, I need you to start moving, now!" he said to Sanji, seeing that he was barely responding to anything. He set him down, seeing that most of the clones he hit were melting, something that made him look over the sight curiously. Once another group pushed after him, he fired back, shooting them effectively as he reached for another blaster, and tossed his first aside, moving back from them as they surged forward. Once they began falling, others tripped over them, yelling out with seeming frustration.

Over them, Yonji appeared, leaping through the air to attack. Bepo looked up at him with dismay, shooting at him, but the Vinsmoke brother slammed down hard atop of him before grabbing him by his overalls and slamming him opposite him. With a hard shove, they emerged from the alleyway into the building, which turned out to be a crowded restaurant. People screamed in reaction, as tables were sent scattering. Bepo kicked Yonji aside, but the man set himself firmly and punched out, nearly catching him. With swift movement, Bepo defended himself until he saw an opening, switch kicking up against his chin, and then yelling out with pain.

"What the fuck are you made out of?" he shouted, pausing in action to clutch his steel toed boot.

"Don't worry about it, son. Just know _you'll_ get hurt!" Yonji said, catching him in the jaw with a wide swing, knocking the albino over several tables, customers scrambling out of the way. Before he could advance, he felt arms curling around him, and a faint sting on his neck – he jerked around to see that Sanji was on him, trying to bite him, then realizing his mistake as he realized he couldn't pierce his skin.

" _What the fucking hell_? Yo, did you just try to _bite_ me?" Yonji cried, moving to grab him when Sanji jumped from him, and sent a hard kick to his gut, knocking him off his feet. As soon as he did that, Bepo flew across the room and kicked him straight out the front window, having him slam off a moving van that toppled with the impact.

"Let's go!" Bepo said, leading the way out from the restaurant through the hole Yonji created by pushing him through. Sanji followed after him, stumbling, in shock. Bepo reached back and grabbed his shirt, forcing him to move faster. Once they were clear of danger, he grabbed his arm, saying softly, "I'm sorry about the old man. I wish we were faster getting here! One of them sabotaged _Sunny_ and _Merry_ , rendering them incapable of flight."

Sanji had nothing to say – he _couldn't_ say anything. Every time he thought about it, his chest seized up. But crying did nothing – it would not bring back the dead. Every part of him felt numb, his limbs useless. He stumbled a bit as he followed Bepo all the way back to the others, and the pair of them stumbled upon a massacre of fallen clones. Zoro was still working through them, singlehandedly taking them out; in the distance, they saw Ichiji flying through the air, Luffy following right after.

Franky waved them over, Nami reaching out to pull Sanji into her arms, hugging him tightly. Bepo ushered them into the building, where the damage caused to the inside rendered it dangerous. Nami clutched Sanji tightly as Franky made his way upstairs, alerted to Brook's call. Up there, Franky saw that Law was still sitting in the hallway, looking absolutely exhausted. The Water Mite looped around him with a growl, having formed into a massive humanoid form, the air hot and dry. Franky made to shoot it, but it shifted over Law with a low sound, Law waving it away.

"These things," he managed to utter, gesturing at his ankles. Franky walked over cautiously, eyeing the water monster as it shrunk in size, resembling a small toddler before taking cover behind Law.

"What _is_ that?" Franky asked cautiously, crouching in front of him, Brook joining them to stand to the side.

"Sanji's Water Mite."

" _What_?" they both exclaimed, looking at it once more. "It can do that?"

"Just get these off me!"

Franky examined the cuffs, giving a heavy frown. "These are sea stone – they react to devil fruit users, rendering you powerless – but this other stuff? Hold still."

From his hand emerged another hand that curled into a pointing finger, a small laser emerging from it. The laser did nothing but cause a long black mark over the body of the cuff, so he reached for it, turning until he found the latch. He used the laser to break it, then hastily took the cuffs off in this fashion. Law sat back against the wall with a relieved sound, feeling pressure lift away from him. Franky looked at the cuffs with examination, rubbing his chin.

Chopper then pushed out from behind Law as he rose shakily to his feet, Brook reaching out to help him.

"This is incredible tech, here," Franky said, standing. "I would need to take it about to see how it works, but there's definitely seastone in there."

"What is that?" Law asked, wiping sweat from his forehead, testing his strength.

Franky gave him an incredulous look. "You have devil fruit powers, but you don't know what seastone is?"

"No!"

"You truly were pampered, weren't you?"

At the exasperated look, Franky chuckled a little, but held the cuffs tightly. "It's a mineral near similar to water – you know how that affects you, right? This is a more concentrated version – people can manipulate it into items used against devil fruit users to control them. It takes away your abilities, weakens you – but this is a different setup, and I need to get in there to understand what they're using. They did their homework."

Law then hurried away from them, and made his way to his room. He found his sword, then teleported outside. It was frustrating that he didn't feel the full range of his abilities after wearing those cuffs, feeling the exhausting effects in all his limbs. Teleporting that short distance left him struggling, energy levels extremely low.

He was astonished at the amount of damage caused – all the fallen clones, the destruction of the structures around them, the sight of Zeff and Carne lying on the sidewalk. He hurried over to them with a horrified expression, feeling upset as he crouched, taking their pulse. But the sight of blaster damage already told him the story, and he swallowed tightly, unable to look anywhere else. He placed a hand atop of Zeff's back, thinking about the hours they'd spent together as he worked on him. Thinking about the teasing, the conversations; he couldn't believe that someone would take his life away just to get back or prove a point to someone else.

Zeff's body was rapidly losing warmth, and he sat heavily, unable to decide how he felt at that moment. He looked up at the sounds of battle, and saw Luffy battling Ichiji. Zoro was fighting Niji. For a few moments, he considered his abilities, finding that he felt just enough energy to make a move – he watched Luffy punch Ichiji hard enough to have him stumbling their way, Niji making his way towards him. Law stood and concentrated on them both with his hand out, watching as the brothers righted themselves and continued their attack.

He muttered ' _shambles'_ , and watched as Zoro landed a hit on a disoriented Niji, Luffy landing on a stumbling Ichiji. Their shouts of alarm were jumbled, unintelligible as they struggled to understand what had happened. Their abilities didn't work, and defensive flailing occurred. Until Ichiji, as Niji, lurched upward, slamming into Zoro with desperate speed. Getting the space he needed, he shouted, "ATTACK!"

A flurry of clones pulled out from various rooftops, leaping to action. Luffy caught sight of Law, and Law gestured at them to get out of the way. Luffy stretched out and caught onto Zoro before swinging them out of the way, the brothers looking over at Law with alarm. Law formed a Room to encase all of them as Luffy and Zoro cleared to safety, of whom were struggling to adjust to their new forms. Feeling the strain on his abilities after having most of his strength drained away, Law focused intensely on the group, and lifted them from their advancement, catching the clones by surprise, the brothers shouting out with dismay as they were caught up in the telekinetic display. He then began cutting them apart, pulling limbs from bodies, heads from necks, and rearranging them.

Then all of them dropped when his energy ran out, and he surveyed the mess of bodies, hearing their dismayed shouts, watching them examine themselves with immense stress.

Niji, as Ichiji, popped up from the mess, snarling. Law faced him as he climbed out from the rearrangement, striding towards him. He set himself to fight, as Niji charged him. He stumbled a bit, and Law stopped him with a push of his power, and felt the last of his energy level drop. Niji strained to reach for him, snarling, "I'll take your head, cat! Maybe he can chew on your damn skull back in that cell!"

Struggling to keep him at bay for a few more seconds, Law pushed forward just as Niji lunged again, teeth bared; the space between them gave him enough room to unsheathe his sword and then drive it straight through his chest, up to the hand guard. Niji's hands wrapped around his neck as he hissed, face reddening with effort as his fingers closed.

"I'll take you with me, pervert!" he snarled as Law strangled under his grasp. But he grit his teeth and turned his wrist, the blade tearing through the rapidly repairing organs he'd punctured. He could feel Niji's insides healing fast, shifting over the blade, which gave him an idea. With oxygen rapidly leaving him, jaw clenching and white stars starting to pop up around the tunnel of black, Law placed his hand over the other and put all his weight and remaining strength into the blade, pushing downward, hearing ribs crack and snap.

Niji's grip loosened slightly, allowing Law to lean in and sink his teeth into the man's neck, hearing his startled gurgle. His face splattered with blood as he continued to push down on the blade, Niji's hands shifting from his neck to his shoulders, pushing as he struggled to scream out.

" _BRO_!" Yonji screamed with panic, running over to assist as Ichiji looked over with a start, trying to reattach his arm with a clone's – once he saw what was happening, he raced over with Yonji, utterly dismayed at the sight of his younger brother's blood – _his_ blood – gushing over the catman that had run his sword through him. Hearing them approach, Law looked over, but didn't remove his teeth – instead, he jerked backward with his entire upper body, ripping out Niji's throat, Yonji stumbling with a stutter step before Ichiji pushed past him with a roar.

Not detaching it entirely, Law spit out the weight of his throat and blood, and drew his sword through the rest of Niji's ribcage, bone snapping and cracking as flesh ripped. Then he wrapped an arm around what was left of his neck, and forced him in front of him, Niji heaving and gurgling, unable to breathe.

"You have five minutes before he stops breathing entirely, and the lack of oxygen renders him brain dead," Law told Ichiji calmly. "Get your shit and retreat."

" _Monster_!" Ichiji hissed, Yonji nearly fainting as he saw his brother's throat hanging at an angle, odd noises emerging from his chest as his fingers reached for himself. But Ichiji didn't waste any time – he gave the signal for the clones to retreat, and as they did so, picking up what they could of their comrades' bodies, Law waited.

"Four and a half, now," he warned him, shoving his blade through Niji's back, causing both brothers to shout curses, helpless at the moment. Then he kicked the man into Ichiji's arms, pulling back with his blade still in front of him. Yonji caught up to Ichiji, hanging onto his shoulders as Niji struggled, arms flailing at the air helplessly. Ichiji glowered at Law with intense hatred before holding onto his brother tightly with one arm, and reaching to his belt with the other. Yonji hands flapped uselessly around his belt before he found what he was looking for, nearly fainting as he looked at his brother once more.

Within seconds, the three of them were gone, teleporting back to the ship. Law stood there, spitting to the sidewalk again, grimacing at how disgusted he felt with the new tastes to his mouth, how uncharacteristic he'd been to behave so savagely. He never thought he had it in him. He wiped his face with disgust, lowering his sword, struggling to understand himself at that moment.

Zoro walked over, giving a low whistle. His face was bright with a newfound respect as he reached out and swatted his back, almost causing him to drop his sword.

"Now _that_ was something to write home about!" Zoro exclaimed. "Who _is_ this guy? This hardcore barbarian?"

Law made to answer him, but the urge to vomit hit him first. Zoro looked away with disgust as he heaved over the sidewalk, vomiting up blood that wasn't his.

"I take it back. You're still a wimp," Zoro decided, hand over his stomach as Law vomited again, grumbling about tasting 'bits' in his teeth.


	20. The Deep End

**A/N: SO STRESSED AS AN AMERICAN RIGHT NOW**

 **Guest: God, me too! I swear - ! UGH. I WILL UGLY CRY.**

 **Moony-F: thanks! He has his moments ;)**

 **nattsubihanabi : Thank you! That's awesome! I'm glad you feel that way :D**

 **20: The Deep End  
**

The police came soon after, closing off the streets to take reports and check status, bodies covered. Franky stood with the city health inspector as he declared their building unsafe. Firemen darted around, checking the damage caused by the battle with curious bystanders lingering around.

"Sanji's an unregistered alien," Law said to Nami as the police sectioned off the scene around the covered bodies. "If the authorities get a hold of him, they're going to put him into detention until they can figure out what sort of immigrant he is. If they find that he belongs to the Germa Empire, no matter if they're trying to keep his existence 'quiet', the authorities are going to turn him over to them. Hack into the security system network in this area and erase any images that might have captured him out here. Let the Germa Empire work to explain their involvement in this one."

"Right, I can do that," Nami said, hurrying back into the building as Luffy and Brook provided some statements away from the building. Law teleported Sanji away from the scene, hiding him in his favorite reflecting spot with a promise that he'd be back. Sanji sat there, too silent and too struck by the things that happened to give any sort of response. Law stood over him, then leaned down and hugged him tightly, understanding that Sanji was on his own in this. Just for now.

Hours later, they'd packed their things for a stay to a nearby motel, Nami reluctantly digging into their savings to do so. The police had cleared them from the situation after witnesses had pointed out that they'd only defended themselves against the unprovoked attack. After they'd settled into their rooms, most of them gathered in Nami's and Luffy's room to discuss the situation. She, Luffy, Zoro, Law, Franky and Brook sat at the small table in the corner, drinks and vending machine snacks between them. Their moods were somber and their expressions tired and serious – it was nearly early morning.

"Guys, after today, it's obvious that this is a bigger task than what we'd thought," Nami murmured, fiddling with her beer. "Those guys were ruthless, and they did what they could when backed into a corner. They shut us down because of it. Franky? Any idea on when the ships will be operational, again?"

"Couple of weeks, tops," Franky answered with a frown. "They fucked with the landing system, and bugged the navigation system. Even if you went in and repaired the codes, we'd have to replace all the instruments holding those systems."

"Those _jerks_ ," Luffy muttered, glaring at the table. " _Why_? Why do all that? Why kill people just to get to one person? I don't get their thinking!"

"Were they tough?" Brook asked, looking at the catmen.

"They were fast, and they were amplified with unusual abilities, but they were slowed with the removal of their armor," Zoro reported. "They spent most of their time mocking Sanji before he – "

"Kicked their asses," Law cut in hastily, frowning at him.

"Well, before he – "

"He was taught well by Zeff to defend himself," Law said, reaching over and digging his nails into Zoro's side, causing him to snarl and swat him over the chest. "For some reason, they weren't expecting that."

Nami frowned at both of them, lifting an eyebrow. Unsure why he had to stay quiet about the cannibalism, Zoro said nothing more, crossing his arms tightly as he glared at his beer. But her expression softened. "I can't believe they killed them like that. Just for defending Sanji? Has he said anything, yet?"

"No," Law answered. "I think he's in a state of shock."

"I wasn't anywhere nearby when they did that," Zoro said regretfully, fingers tightening on his biceps. "Those fucking clones just…"

"He knew it would happen, sooner or later," Luffy said carefully. "He knew they'd catch up, and he knew they'd kill the old man to get to him. Zeff was aware of that, too. But he was also ready to die anyway, right, Law?"

"After some time," Law murmured, glaring at the table. The thought of not talking to the old man, anymore, left him feeling sad. But Zeff had been aware of the risks, and he'd disregarded them all just for Sanji. He was trying to understand how one person could sacrifice themselves so easily, so quickly, for someone they barely knew, but believed in. It was too big for him.

"He's the type of old dude that would rather die fighting than succumbing to a damn disease, anyway," Brook said with a nod. "I'm sure Sanji knows this."

"And Carne wasn't the type to stand by, either. Both of them did what they could," Nami murmured. "It's just…I wasn't expecting this to happen. We've found ourselves in small skirmishes here and there, but not something where people are being _killed_ in front of us."

"It feels weird," Luffy admitted slowly, rubbing his arm. "I know death is around us, but knowing that I'm not going to see Zeff or Carne around after all this time…what's going to happen if those guys come back again? I have to wonder if they will."

"We'll just keep fighting them," Zoro said. "Sanji doesn't want to go with them. He fought all this time to live, why give up, now?"

"But at _what cost_?" Nami asked with uncertainty. "How many of us will end up dying just to keep that from happening?"

"They might come back with reinforcements, considering how their asses were spanked," Franky said slowly. "I think we've proven that we aren't easy pushovers, forcing them into making a bigger decision."

"He knew that we wouldn't have a chance against them," Nami muttered, looking at her beer. "I just thought that we'd handle things just fine, I…admittedly, I'm afraid of what will happen the next time we cross paths with them. I'm afraid to lose somebody else."

"If they wanted him dead, they would've killed him at the apartment," Law said, thinking about it from start to finish. No one knew that he and Sanji had spent the night together, had…and no one had to know. But he looked at Zoro, who said nothing, either. "They didn't want him dead that easily. They wanted him to suffer, first. They were quite sadistic."

"I feel terrible for him," Franky admitted. "Just think, guys, they treated him that way back then, too. They must have!"

"But _why_?" Nami cried. "Why treat your own family member in such a way? What do they get out of it? I don't understand that sort of cruelty!"

"We didn't ask, but they mentioned their mother, a lot," Zoro said. "She had something about her that made them…hmm, jealous? Angry?"

"As much as I enjoy a good fight, this one was an eye opener," Luffy said, carefully choosing his words. "They came in to hurt, purposely causing chaos to inflict him with the worst damage. And Nami's right – we might lose others if we cross paths with them, again. They used their army to fight us. Think about what would happen if they brought in more. Yeah, at first I thought it'd be fine if we took him in, but…the reality is, people can easily die because of their efforts."

"So you're thinking of pushing him away?" Law asked sharply. "After taking him in and giving him a home, a chance, you're going to ask him to leave?"

"We have lives to think about – " Nami started to say when Luffy interrupted her to argue, "We fight stupid fights sometimes, but never at the cost of someone's _life_! What if we lose someone else?"

"He knew that we'd be incapable of fighting them," Franky said gently. "He understood that his family is strong, and we weren't."

"So you take someone in, give them a home, become his friend, and then turn him away when something goes wrong. Yes, Zeff died – but he would, eventually! And what would he think, if those he'd befriended and trusted turned Sanji away at this point - ?"

"I get what you're saying, Law, but nobody thought that it'd be this bad," Luffy insisted. "I'm concerned if the others are concerned, and Sanji knew it'd happen – he'd be fine if he had to go his own way."

"That's _bullshit_."

"Why is it? Because I'm concerned about others' lives over _one_?" Luffy asked, looking at him sharply.

"For someone that talks so strongly about being strong, you sure are quick to tuck your tail and retreat."

"What'd you say? You're saying I'm a fucking coward?"

" _Yes_!"

"Then _you_ make the decision, for the good of the group!" Luffy shouted at him, ears raised and fur lifted as he stood at his side of the table. "When those guys come back, what are _you_ going to do?"

Law frowned at him, then looked away. His helpless anger made him curl his hands into fists, balling them atop of his thighs.

"I'm thinking for everyone at this point," Luffy said as the uncomfortable silence stretched. "Right now, we're out of a home, we're out of a working ship. That's lost profits because of this fight. We're not drifters, we're connected to Earth, and to each other. Sanji knew from the start that this would happen – and he was fine being on his own because of it. He knew he'd lose Zeff, and Zeff knew he'd be on his own, even if he'd died naturally. He'll understand once we ask him to leave."

"I don't…feel comfortable with that," Brook murmured. "Even if we asked him to leave, he's not…where would he go? What would he do?"

"You guys survived on your own, right?" Luffy asked the catmen. Zoro had a stoic expression on his face while Law glared at the table, ears flattening. "You guys had very pampered lives, and you figured it out. So what makes Sanji different in this situation? When he ran off in the first place, he figured things out on his own. He's a smart guy. He'll figure out a way how to evade them, and, meanwhile, none of us will have to die."

Nami covered her face with her hand, chin trembling. "I feel so ashamed for talking like this! We've gotten to know him all this time, and – and now we're talking about sending him away?"

"Nami, even you agreed to this," Luffy told her. "What's easier? Losing another one of us to Sanji's family, or letting him walk away on his own? I, personally, don't want to lose anymore of my friends."

"Isn't he your friend?"

"Sanji never quite warmed up to us," Luffy said to Law sharply. "He kept us at arm's length, no matter what we did. He never showed us very much of himself, so what if we don't know the entire story? I can't warm up to someone that refuses to acknowledge us as his friends, either. It makes me think he's plotting to use us in some way that's unfavorable."

"Unbelievable…"

Nami covered her face with both hands, tears dribbling down her jawline.

"His family won't stop until they have him, and with just us? How are we supposed to fight an entire _empire_?" Luffy asked. "I wouldn't mind the fight, but I won't risk anyone else losing their lives because of it. Law. If you feel you can come up with something better, then let us know."

"I feel weird discussing this," Zoro muttered. "You all knew the risks and you accepted them. Those two old men knew the situation – yet they dropped everything to race out to take him in, no matter that they'd only known him for, what, a _day_ as a child? They gave little regard to their lives and threw it away for this guy, who never had a chance to live the way we did. But you know what? I'm sure Sanji would've done the same for us if any of us were in danger."

Luffy sat at the table, fiddling with his juice bottle. "Look, I like Sanji. I do. He's a cool guy. But he knew that he posed a risk to all of us by being here. That's why he tried to go with them the first time, and _you_ guys pulled him back."

"The things that happened, it – "

"So, why don't you two take him where he'll be safer?" Luffy asked slowly, looking at the two. "If it'll make you feel better, I know of some places he can go, and people that can be of better help than us."

Zoro gave him a disgusted look, while Law looked at him with a frown.

"In all honesty," Luffy muttered, frowning at the table, "if anything happened to Nami, I don't know what I'd do. She's my mate. I can't continue to put her in any danger, and I feel, with the way these guys deliberately hurt Zeff and Carne and made to hurt you, too, Law, that they'd not hesitate to hurt her. So, yes… _yes_ , I'm afraid right now. I'd never been around death and this type of crime, and seeing it first hand – it's making me think that we're not prepared to lose our lives for one person. He understands that."

"It's very brave of you to admit that," Franky said quietly. "Law, Zoro, you have to accept Luffy's decision."

All of them were silent for some time, Nami struggling to repress her tears, wiping her eyes with the hem of her shirt.

Law stood up from the table. "Well, nothing more can be said of this."

"If you have a better idea, then feel free to share it," Luffy said, frowning at him.

"Since you've all bowed out of the situation, then what I have to say means nothing to you," Law said, leaving the room. Nami started to cry again, getting up from her chair and excusing herself to the bathroom. The others looked at each other uncomfortably.

Zoro frowned at Luffy, who stared down at the table with a frustrated expression. Brook and Franky said nothing, but all of them were uncomfortably aware of the weight of their decision. Finally, Zoro said, "You know he's going to take Sanji and leave, right?"

"Where would they go?" Luffy asked, voice catching slightly. "He's almost as clueless as Sanji is."

"He'll think of something."

"It's not like this is giving me any pleasure, or anything," Luffy muttered. "But those guys kill for a living – we survive bar fights. And if that empire decided to, they could cause this planet trouble. For _one_ person. I have to think that Sanji can figure it out on his own – well, Law, too, if he does."

"If he goes…I'm going to go with them," Zoro said carefully, the others giving him startled looks. "I don't mind losing my life to a battle, no matter how useless it might seem. These guys are strong, and I lost – which proves to me there's something more than this life."

Luffy sucked his lips between his teeth, looking at the tiger with consideration. Then he said, "I know you're bored most of the time, but if you truly felt that way, then why stay?"

"Because you guys are my friends, and no other opportunity presented itself. Yes, those two are useless – but they've got enough bravery in them to face a stronger opponent without giving in to them, and I have to respect that."

Luffy reddened. "Are you saying it's cowardly to think of others?"

"No. Not at all. I just personally give more respect to those fools who look death in the face rather than seeking cover from it," Zoro said with a shrug. "Look, I come from a severely structured world, where I wasn't allowed to do anything outside of the lines. Here on Earth, I'm given a chance. If I go with them, then I'm guaranteed a life on edge all the time. I'd prefer that over comfort and security."

"What if Law doesn't go?"

"Look, he might not fight very well, have that instinct in him, but he's shown more fight for another person than he did for himself. I think it's fine that you guys think the way you do, it's reasonable to have that instinct, too. But I'd rather go where it looks like I'll continue to have to give it my all. Whatever Sanji plans on doing, he's not going to run forever. He's got more fight in him than you guys give him credit, for. He wants to live. What's wrong with that?"

"At the expense of others' lives?"

"And it's fine if you think that you shouldn't give your life for him. He understands that, as you've said. But for people like me, I want that sort of thing. You guys are great friends and all, I'm appreciative of the time spent here. But I can't continue living this way, forever. It's time for me to move on."

Franky nodded, Brook listening with his head bowed. Luffy studied Zoro for a few moments, picking at the table top.

"Okay," he said quietly. "If that's how it is."

Zoro nodded firmly, then got up from the table. "I'm sure they won't leave right away, considering how broke he is. He's going to find other resources, first. I'd be careful, though. Any hurt animal has enough strength and will in them to bite if they feel scared or threatened, or if they feel something they value is threatened."

"Which one are you talking about?" Brook asked curiously.

"Both of them."

: :

When Law returned to the room he shared with Sanji, Sanji was sitting at the table in the corner with a careful expression, revealing nothing of his thoughts or feelings. Law wasn't sure if it were a choice or a conscious decision to keep it to himself, unsure of how to talk about these things with the other man. He felt sick inside; both with the decisions that had been made – the weight of it decided by the majority – and with everything that had happened. He wasn't sure of what sort of expression to make – he knew he reflected it somehow, because he didn't have reason to hide his feelings like the other did.

The difference being that, in the past, he didn't _have_ to feel these things – nothing had given him the opportunity, to. So feeling it was quite new and he didn't know how to handle it. The hour was late, but while he was exhausted, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He sat at the edge of the bed, trying to put things together so that he could express them to Sanji without his own feelings getting in the way.

Sanji offered nothing, but Law could see that there was sweat at his forehead, and the pulse visible at his temple was beating furiously. He turned to look at him, examining Law's expression, and coming to his own conclusion.

Law swallowed tightly. "We'll leave in the morning," he said with effort. "Just you and I."

Sanji did not reveal his thoughts or emotions at this mention, but he nodded once to indicate that he heard. Then he turned and faced away from him, sitting rigidly for those minutes. All that they heard was the quiet ticking of the clock, a door slamming in the distance. Law looked over at him for some moments, wondering what was going through his head. If Sanji were feeling sad, anxious, hurt, scared – the blond revealed nothing. But then again, Sanji shared nothing with them of his feelings, hiding them away so he either felt safe, or if it simply were something that he'd learned to not show just in case it might be used against him.

And here he was, unsure of what to feel towards someone if he hadn't been told to feel it in the first place.

"Hey. Come here," he said, kicking off his shoes, his feet tired and sweaty, moving the pillows aside before turning on the tv. Sanji rose up from the chair without much of an expression, looking at him. Reluctantly, Sanji pushed the chair back to the table, turned off the nearby light, and walked over, fiddling with his fingers. Law pulled him to the bed, fitting him to him, lightly brushing a hand through his hair, saying nothing as some infomercial played noisily on the television set.

He could hear Sanji's breathing tightening, could feel him tensing up against him, so that encouraged Law into thinking that he was right; Sanji was feeling something, hiding it, and that carefully constructed wall of his was softening under his touch.

He reached between them to grab Sanji's hand, entwining his fingers between his, feeling his sweaty palms stick to his. He leaned down to smell his sweat, detecting the sharp metallic tinge of anxiety, stress, faint hints of hostility; nothing of the man he himself had bitten. Ichiji had a sharp chemical taste and smell to him that was near similar to Sanji's the first time they met – their planet riddled with such pollutants that all their occupants stunk of it – but none of it was present on Sanji's skin. He'd taken a bath earlier, redressing in an oversized tan sweater with harem style sweats – Brook's choosing, most likely, with that low of a crotch drop – but Law could smell the mixture of tension on him.

He nuzzled the top of his head, rubbing his skin against the soft fringe of Sanji's hair, before forcing his arm around his waist so that he could touch him. It simply lay against him, dead weight, like Sanji didn't know what to do with it. Law stroked that arm, touched his back, caressed his shoulders, cupped and brushed through his hair – trying to show him that he was valued, to show him that he was supported. He kissed his forehead, the top of his head, hugged him, squeezed him – and after much reluctance with this part of himself, started to purr, the sound scratchy and tired, but constant as he physically expressed himself to the other man to show that he cared, when words failed.

Sanji's tense form began to loosen up against him, his arm slowly curling around his waist, and he pushed his head up against him, cheek against his chest. He struggled to keep his face from revealing the things he held back, but he could feel himself weakening as Law continued to touch him. Much like an oversized cat would, doing what it could to show its owner affection. Having had experienced Earth cats' finicky affections made him reluctant to relax, sure he'd feel claws or teeth pretty soon. While he felt dead inside, his emotions rolling from one spectrum to the next, his body was warming up to the affection he was feeling. After everything that had happened, he needed something else to fill that violently forced void.

He lifted his face to his, and was met with a hungry mouth on his. He liked this side of Law the most, where the catman took control and used his animal instinct to guide him, letting it talk for him. Sanji gave himself up to him, feeling his sharp teeth on his skin, sharp pinches of pressure on his neck and shoulders, strong hands on his body. He was scared because he knew it would hurt, but he felt he needed this at this moment to feel wanted, valued, _human_. The others didn't want him, his family wanted him dead, and here was someone that didn't hold back on ravishing him. That drank him up and marked him and dominated him, but also made him feel every pinch of pain, every wave of pleasure and euphoric release, everything that his body seemed surprised to experience. He wanted to feel wanted and needed by somebody, and this side of Law made it clear that he was.

He ran his hands up the sparse line of fur on Law's spine, touched all the new muscle there from his constant workouts with Zoro. He learned the catman's body with his fingertips, taking in everything he could. All he had to focus on was breathing, on sensation – more focused on the feel of Law's teeth on his skin, the smell of his furry head as he leaned down to lick sweat from Sanji's chest, to taste his nipples. Sanji played with his ears, fiddling with the furry patches of hair on his spine, ran his fingers at the base of his tail, where he discovered a very sensitive spot. He reached between them to scratch the furry patch of his crotch and moaned loudly when Law found that spot he liked.

This time around, it was easier giving his body up than resisting, and he did so because he needed to receive and feel this sort of aggression, to open up physically because his inner workings weren't so easily given. Whatever Law's reasoning for this was his own, but Sanji hadn't felt so valued in such a long time, in another person's hands. He tried to show his own affections in the same manner, hands moving urgently, gently, encouraging – by the end of it, his body was left wrung and exhausted, pained in various areas and buzzing with sensitivity in others.

Law laid over him with an exhausted noise, holding him close to catch his breath. Sanji reached back to touch him, letting him know that he was okay. On wobbly legs, Law pushed away from him, pulling away the top comforter with a wince. He ran a bath, took a quick shower. Then went and retrieved the other man to bathe him, too. Once he was in the bathroom, Law quickly removed the soiled blanket and replaced it with another tucked in the closet, and then opened the window a little, sure that goddamn Zoro could smell what had happened in the past few hours.

When they redressed and resettled back into bed, the sun was rising, and morning had begun without them. Law set out the Do Not Disturb sign on the door – adding "RORONOA" to it just in case Zoro pushed his way in to be nosey – and double locked the doors. He didn't intend on talking to anybody today, feeling all these different things because of their decision. He returned to bed and spent some time kissing over the bitemarks, the light scratches he could see on Sanji's back – already healing – before he fell asleep against him.

Hours later he awoke and left Sanji to sleep before he grabbed his credit card and headed downstairs to the business office. He added credits to his account before he signed in and called home, holding his tail in his lap, lightly grooming the patchy spots that were marked with his scars. When Corazon answered with a relieved noise, his black feathers shiny with the twin suns' light, Law said, "I need a favor."

"I'm taking a ride through the country," Corazon said, showing off the rolling hills, the stoic faces of eight legged half men pulling the carriage along a rocky path. While their planet was one of the cleanest, with fresh air and abundant oceans, the winters were too harsh and the summers too hot. It was society itself that made the planet difficult, and Law only realized how oppressed he'd felt all that time with just that quick showing of the country side. "It's about time you asked for something. What is it?"

"I need twenty thousand credits."

" _WHAT_."

"I need to leave Earth, but I'm not leaving here alone," Law said slowly, unsure of how much to hold back.

Corazon looked at him with a startled expression, red eyes round as he searched around Law for indication of his companionship. Then his eyes narrowed. "You better not have met up with that fox – "

"No. He's human."

Corazon's mouth dropped open with horror, then disgust made his features narrow, wrinkle, as if he'd caught the smell of something foul. To him, Law had jumped from a bad situation to an even worse one. His expression spoke for him.

"I hadn't realized how much I was lacking until I found him, Cora." Law then took a few moments before adding quietly, "I'm not coming back."

Corazon's eyes widened again.

"I found…someone very important to me, and…there's no point giving my life away senselessly when I have someone I can care, for."

"Doflamingo won't be happy to hear that, especially if you chose a _human_ – "

"It doesn't make sense, Cora. I have given him plenty in return for his favor, and when this nonsense hit – society rejected me because I am _scarred_. I'm a perfectly functioning being with feelings, so why should I be regarded as less? I used to think I wasn't worth it until I found this person. The way things are going, we're going to be…it's only going to be us for some time. But after…that situation with the fox, I have no savings left to get us off this planet. It's important that we leave it immediately."

Corazon was silent for a few moments, lifting up a cigarette before lighting it. He exhaled smoke with a heavy noise. "Then why leave?"

"He has…very powerful people coming after him."

"How 'powerful'?" Corazon asked curiously, tilting his head.

Law debated saying anything before said low, "Germa."

"Our _neighbors_?"

"Yes."

Confused, Corazon stared at him. "We've heard nothing from their side of the blue. They've extended no news through the network about any unrest or action…"

"Because it's…it's something they're desperate to keep secret."

Corazon's face brightened, whispering, "Is it _scandalous_?"

"…Yes. Yes, they're treating it this way." Law then looked at him with consideration. "What do you know of Jajji's wife?"

"Oh…not much," Corazon said, thinking about it. "I saw her maybe once or twice while we were passing through – she was very pretty. She glowed. But Jajji, I remember thinking at the time that he treated her as…he kept her at a distance, like he was afraid of others' opinions. I think she was pregnant at the time. She was very…she did not fit in with Germa's ugliness. I'd always wondered if she were a prisoner."

Law bit his lip as Corazon thought about it. But something told him not to say anything.

"Doffy swore she wasn't genetically modified like most of Germa. She was imported, subjected to that weirdo's experiments. The eldest daughter looks almost just like her, but she's just as bad as the rest of those assholes." Corazon looked at him curiously. "Why did you want to know all this?"

"It was only because of this situation that I was…curious. Cora, could you do me a favor? Asides…the money."

"Yes, I can transfer that amount to you. Where's this… _human_ …?"

Self-conscious, Law felt his face and neck flame as Corazon stared at him in silence, brow furrowed – not understanding the embarrassment. But he was distracted by the shift in subject, crow features changing as he considered the possibilities. There were no humans living on their planet – Doflamingo didn't like them. Most half-animals looked down on them as lower than them, not impressed with their traits, their 'free will'. For Law to find a human as a mate was…distressing.

"I don't understand why you would further subject yourself to this banishment and its related troubles," Corazon then said, puzzled. "If you took a human as a mate, it wouldn't look good on you. It'll hurt the respectable reputation that you've built as a successful surgeon. When Doflamingo figures out a way to bring you back, this will not bode well with our society."

"Cora, my skin is patchy, I lost most of my fur because of my stress and anxiety, I am a survivor of that disease – no one was willing to marry me, fearing they'd catch it. For the first time in a very long time, I feel that someone wants me. This human, he…disregarded all of that. He made me his first and only choice." Law paused for a moment, then added, "And I didn't have a choice in it. He was quite forceful with his affections."

"Humans are troublesome," Corazon muttered. "They are lower than us. Substitutes for warmth. Good only for trash and slave work. If you try and bring one of those to us with the intention of marrying it, it will not bode well."

"I understand, and I don't care. Which is why I am not coming back."

Corazon exhaled heavily, looking off into the distance. His heart pounded hard, with alarm. "And where are you going?"

"Anywhere. I…need someplace safe, without Germa influence."

Corazon was silent, blinking as he realized what Law was asking of him. He stared at the cat, remembering him as the small kitten he and Doflamingo had picked up years ago; how he'd grown into an obedient 'yes-man' until he was forcefully banished from the planet at the revelation of his scars. He remembered the panic caused as those Law had worked on as a surgeon flocked to the palace in hysterics, taking with them hordes of concerned people that were convinced they were sick, too; how Law had looked at him upon knowing he'd caused a mass hysteria that Doflamingo couldn't placate with words alone. Culture and tradition had shaped Law into who he was, following Doflamingo's every whim – willing to marry a fox to allow Doflamingo to gain more territory. In their world, everyone was shaped to exist only to function for others.

Months after being banished from their planet, and Law was telling Corazon the impossible – refusing Doflamingo's order to take up with a human, asking Corazon to help hide him. It was so _dirty_ that Corazon wondered what sort of environment Earth was to encourage this sort of thinking. He couldn't say anything for those few moments, throat dry. He was frozen while his cigarette burned to the filter, causing him to toss it away with a panicked curse. He lit another one, exhaling with a heavy weight to his chest. He'd wanted Law to live, but not under these circumstances.

"I can only send you money," Corazon said stiffly. "But I don't agree to this, to you…running off with a human."

"I know it's not customary to do so, but - "

"This is all I can do," Corazon repeated tightly, looking away. "I can't help hide you from my own brother. Check your messages in twenty. MY twenty."

Law stared at him in silence for a few moments, feeling struck as he realized where Corazon's alliance stood. He was frozen for that time, unable to blink. Then swallowed with difficulty, looking at the half man that couldn't meet his eyes at that moment.

He spoke with effort. "I am putting you into an uncomfortable situation, aren't I?"

"First, you tell me you'd found a human to run away with, then you ask for my support in you eluding Doffy's orders. You ask too much of me. I am already transferring you money, but I cannot help you in any other way."

"How is this different from earlier, when I hadn't yet said anything about - ?"

"Because humans are foul creatures! And I'm sorry you had to live with them, but to _take up_ with one? If you were on your own, I'd gladly help, but this is…an abomination. You're lowering yourself to a common pest and it won't be accepted. You can't convince me that this is proper and beneficial to anyone."

Stunned, Law stared at the screen. The ringing in his head did not dissipate as those words washed over him. He'd been away for much too long to understand where Corazon stood in the scheme of things. For him to automatically assume that Corazon would support him was his mistake. Earth had been too much of a corruptive influence on him, allowing him to think that every family or friend was the same. Face darkening with understanding, he then nodded. "Forget it, Cora. I… apologize. This is something that I'll do on my own. This is the last you'll hear from me."

Corazon looked at him with remorse. "No, _wait_ , Law - !"

Law disconnected, then sat there for some minutes, absorbing the weight of the situation. He draw his hands to his face, feeling his palms shake. He signed out of his account and then sat there, shoulders dropped as he stared at the empty office. He thought of his savings, the meager amount giving him nothing to work with. Wiping his face, he struggled to think of a way to get them both off this planet, and to understand that he now had nobody to turn to.

He closed his eyes tightly, hands on his forehead as he rested his elbows on his knees. He could do this. There were ways they could use to get by; all they needed to do was get somewhere where Germa wouldn't think of, and where Doflamingo's reach faltered.

He rose up from the chair and headed back upstairs, thinking of the bank Nami used to make deposits. Halfway up the stairway, he thought of the times he'd made the deposit himself – he remembered the layout of the building, and had watched the workers enter the vault in the back. He needed money. He had somebody he needed to take care of. If both of them were slated to lose their lives, anyway, then laws shouldn't apply to them. Space was vast – Earth's reach was very small, deep within the Calm Belt of the universe.

He made it back to the room with a determined expression. He found Sanji sleeping peacefully on the bed. He double locked the door and curled up behind him, smelling the clean scent of his hair, the sweet scent of his skin. He couldn't help but lick the soft strip of flesh available to him, nibbling lightly on it until Sanji stirred, hunching to stop it. Law laid over him, causing him to grunt and shift, pushing him off until Law found a better position, curling his fingers into his sweater and resting his head up against his stomach, content in that position while Sanji reached down to rub softly on his ears, lulling him to sleep. He heard himself purr, which was slightly embarrassing, but it felt good, and he was too tired to fight it.

: :

Reiju said nothing as she looked her brothers over. Yonji was sitting with his head down, bowed in thought – it was Niji – no, _Ichiji_ – pacing, one armed, near Niji in the regenerator. Their brother was stabilized, oxygen mask in place, the machine doing everything in its power and ability to repair the damage done. She looked over at the repair meter, reading 45%. It was rising, so it was a good chance that Niji would pull through fine. The mood was extremely somber, and she said nothing because it was Ichiji's scene. Yonji was quiet – either from distress or Ichiji's order – and she looked down at her younger brother. She wished she could touch him, his broad shoulders much too tense, but her hologram allowed nothing of that sort of contact.

She watched Ichiji pace – in Niji's body, lacking an arm – and tried to read that expression of his. It was confusing watching Niji pace in the way that Ichiji did whenever he was in some foul mood, but she refrained from commenting.

She had things to say, but she didn't offer to say anything until Ichiji gave his permission. When he lifted his head, lips set, he stopped pacing. He swallowed noisily. "It was my mistake for thinking that this would've been an easy mission. I underestimated his…friends. I take full responsibility for Niji's injuries. But what I can't forgive myself for is allowing myself to partake in the senseless acts that I did, further allowing those creatures to interfere with our mission. As far as I see it, this fucking cat will pay dearly for what he'd done."

"He seems a very strong warrior," Reiju said carefully. "One must respect the strength of an opponent."

Yonji nodded in agreement, but Ichiji looked at them in silence so he said nothing as Reiju frowned.

For a few tense moments, the siblings waited, watching each other to see who would speak up first. Ichiji cleared his throat before saying, "While I admire strong opponents, what angers me is that the relationship of these two is far more disgusting than that."

"'Relationship'?" Reiju and Yonji questioned.

"Yes. It seems our dear, rejected brother is taking on the services of this half man, half beast."

"I find it ironic, bro, that this is coming from a guy that takes services from a woman that can go, literally, from 80 to 8," Yonji said, trying for a smile and receiving Ichiji's glare in return. He looked back down at his boots. "Not that I condone this type of thing, nope, it's gross. So nasty. Like, who'd do that sort of thing? Only a freaking reject."

"Not the old man?" Reiju asked, almost dejectedly.

"Niji almost died, today!" Ichiji snapped at them. "There is no time for your stupid jokes! That bastard cat ripped out his throat, forced us to retreat."

"Brother, if he gave you chance to escape, then this was not a cowardly act," Reiju said gently. "On one hand, we should be grateful for a strong opponent to beat – the challenge will further our brutal reputations. On the other, the amount of compassion given to our poor brother suggests that there's another way to bring him down, as well. Given that he thinks fondly of our brother, all we would need to endanger one or the other, and the remainder will bode to listen to our commands."

"This was done! That cat just needs to be destroyed first!"

"Unfortunately, we cannot," Reiju said quietly, hand up in a placating gesture. "Upon confirmation of these men, we have learned that the cat originates from the Windmill system – which Doflamingo Donquixote rules over."

"So? Fuck those beasts!"

"He also is a designated favorite with both Doflamingo and Corazon. They regard him as their brother, and their 'son', respectfully. If you harm him in anyway, Doflamingo will be most upset. With his reach, unfortunately, father would be due for a war – not only from that family, but from their network, as well. Doflamingo has a hand in the underworld that father treasures your wife, for. You can't touch him."

Ichiji stared at her with consternation, until his neck and face reddened. "This is impossible! _Absurd_! This fucking beast has that much power?"

"Regrettably. I've done my research, don't worry," Reiju then said, walking around Yonji to approach the regenerator where Niji was laying. She examined her younger brother, finding it troublesome that she was looking at the familiar features of Ichiji, but knowing that it was Niji. She wondered how he would take these things once he woke. "It appears that he had been banished from that area – years ago, Amber Lead syndrome hit Spider Miles hard, and devastated most of their population. This…Law…was found as youngling, and the brothers raised him. He was given a devil fruit to be cured of the disease, which did so – but left him with severe scarring."

"All those white patches?" Yonji asked. "And he looks sick. Mangy. Hair missing from his tail, and shit."

"Yes. Unfortunately, these people lack tact and class, and they panicked once they realized, years later, that he carried the scarring only. It caused a mass panic. He's a wonderful surgeon, I've seen his work. Very gifted."

"Don't praise our enemies, Reiju."

"So they banished him – he's useful to Doflamingo and Corazon…I don't think it's affection that they've kept him alive. That power of his is important to them. I just don't know _why_. They have not revealed the type of fruit that they'd given to him."

Ichiji considered these words, sitting slowly. The doctors lingering nearby scooted out from the area with quiet apologies, the door whispering open and shut.

"If we kill him, we risk starting a war," he murmured, fingers tapping together. "With the reputation that father has built, there is no way that anyone would respect us starting a fight with those beasts over their idiot kid without the risk of exposing Sanji to them. If they haven't reached out to father just yet, then it's safe to assume that they do not suspect that – "

"I've looked into this as well," Reiju said, sweeping her hair behind her ear. She was wearing a bright pink robe over a delicate chiffon dress, with a single layer of lace over it. Her heeled sandals had a bright layer of sparkles over the straps, and Yonji was looking at them with a curled lip. "It appears that he was set in an arranged marriage to a fox. A moon prince. The fox broke off the engagement and disappeared. Their culture demands that beasts marry other beasts – if the relationship is as you say, then if he's paired with a human, it won't bode well with the brothers. They will cut ties with him. They don't think very highly of humans, or those that take up relationships with them. Lowering their caste level to take on something lower is just…a terrible insult."

"Doflamingo isn't so easy to let go of things, though," Ichiji said tightly. "If he knew that his beast of a child is…consorting with Sanji, he will demand a marriage. At this point, we're at a catch 22 with them as a pair. If we could somehow snatch off with Sanji alone, then perhaps we can ignore the beast altogether. Save him for another time, unfortunately. All that should matter is getting to Sanji."

Reiju gave a hard exhale. "If this beast truly thinks the best of him, he'll do whatever is in his power to protect him."

Ichiji frowned at her, then tilted his head. "You admire that sort of thing, don't you, sister?"

Yonji tensed.

"You think of this partnership as a romance? Something to read about later?"

Reiju chose her words carefully. "I feel, as a woman, that it _is_ romantic, that, despite Sanji's revolting upbringing in a cell, a man such as himself has found loyalty and devotion in another being, even if it were a man-beast like this one. However, my childish fantasies play out this romance as nothing more than a woman's bored pipedream. But if you were looking for a suggestion in how to separate one from the other based on this silly, female daydream, then please, be free to ask my opinion. Ichiji."

Ichiji frowned at her while Yonji waited. All that remained between them was the soft drone of the regenerator, the low hum of the ship.

"We'll figure it out," Ichiji muttered, running a hand through his hair, remembering belatedly that it wasn't his. With a growl, he rose and walked towards his arm that sat on a nearby counter space. It seemed to be caught in a permanent suspension – alive despite lack of blood flow, warm, clean – their doctors were astounded at how this was possible.

"We need him alive," he growled out, curling his fist tightly. "Despite it, we need to switch back to our original forms. I need my arm back. Above it all, we need that cat _alive_."

With his back turned to them, Yonji looked at Reiju with a frown, and she smiled at him, shrugging a shoulder.

"So, moving on," she said, reaching for a panel floating near her. "Father conducted research onto Sanji's cell. He said he'd like to talk to you about it, but he's been of ill health, recently – "

"What's wrong with him?" Ichiji asked with worry.

"They're not sure. But his personal surgeon has been attending to him, and will inform us after making a clear determination of his ailments. He wants us focused more on this task than him. That poor, brave man."

"Then, continue. What did you find out about Sanji's cell?"

"Father discovered that the locks to the cell were rusted for approximately four years. So he had resided in that back cell mere months after father punished him for the last time. He was removed – but by whom? The only one to have access to his cell was himself. We executed some tests on the waste that was left behind. True, he fed off mostly trash – there was no rat DNA present, other than the rats themselves."

"So he _wasn't_ eating those things?" Yonji asked, speaking up now that he detected a lull in his older siblings low key sniping.

"No. He'd bonded with them, as he had with the animals father would bring home. They were still retaining supplies in the event of his return. Father had them all exterminated," she added.

"Figures then he'd take up with a half beast himself," Ichiji muttered scornfully.

"But what made it even more interesting was the presence of other individuals' DNA," Reiju said, face lighting up. "Our brother and his rat friends fed off the prisoners that were deposited into the cells around him. Sure enough, we identified those bones left behind and found their presence in his cell. Our brother resorted to cannibalism to survive."

" _Ugh_ ," Yonji muttered, making a face as Ichiji sneered, unconsciously touching his neck. "Well…I guess if one was hungry enough. When I first saw him, he was literally skin and bones. He didn't look the way he did, now."

"Why is it when you talk about him, I hear sympathy in your tone?" Ichiji asked him icily.

"I'm _not_! I'm just _saying_! I'd never seen that sort of thing before, so to know it happened close to me – dudes, honestly, I had no idea he was living underneath us this entire time, because you guys didn't trust me!" Yonji exclaimed, standing up from his seat with his arms out. "Of course I'm going to feel someway about it!"

"If you truly felt the way you did about him, you wouldn't keep bringing up his pitiful appearance like you do," Ichiji growled.

"I don't. I mean, _I don't_. Like, _yeah_ , he's our brother, but pops thought he belonged in the trash for a reason. He's easy to beat up. Which didn't make any sense, considering how, _now_ , you guys need leverage to get him down," Yonji added, almost carelessly.

Reiji touched her mouth with a surprised expression, then said sharply to Ichiji, "Of course, he means this in a non-antagonistic sense, Ichiji."

"Yeah, I'm just _saying_ , from my standpoint – you know how I like to fight and throw my weight around, I'm seeing this from my side. Sanji was always the type to stand and fight for something weaker than him, so of course he'd stand and fight for those guys, making him a tough opponent – so _of course_ it makes sense for you guys to use something to pin him down without trouble," he said, blinking cluelessly as Ichiji snarled at him.

"Ichiji – "

" _You_ failed to bring him in the first place!"

"That _cat_ teleported through _space_ to get to him - !"

" _All_ of you failed!" Reiju spoke up hastily, loudly as Ichiji's face reddened, and Yonji started to realize what he was doing to his older brother.

Hands up quickly, he said, "Look, bro, I don't mean it in an insulting fashion. Niji would get it. I'll just shut up, okay? I want to hear more of this cannibalism thing. Like, that's unheard of, here. To think someone would resort to that – that's super gross, and super fascinating at the same time."

" _As a result_ ," Reiju said loudly, over Ichiji's growl, seeing him pace again. Yonji took a seat, a sweat sheen gleaming over his bared forehead, "with the mix of DNA in Sanji's waste, father supposed that that with the addition of Sanji's natural ability to regenerate, the abilities of Germa modified prisoners assisted him with constant regeneration, allowing him to survive."

"Germa modified people are stronger than normal humans. If Sanji is considered a failure, a _normal_ human, then how was he able to do this?" Ichiji asked, sitting slowly atop of a stool.

"Father feels that he inherited mother's abilities of regeneration," she said slowly.

Both brothers fell silent, then looked at each other with startled expressions. Reiju smiled at their reaction. "Yes. He even inherited her ability to eat people and take on their characteristics. Which was one of father's strongest fears."

Yonji made a face while Ichiji rubbed his neck once more, frowning.

"Such a sweet face, too," Reiju murmured, looking disappointed.

"I don't understand why pops married her in the first place," Yonji commented, shoulders drooped. "If he was so grossed out by her, why do her?"

"Can't you word this in another fashion?" Ichiji asked him impatiently. "This was our _mother_."

"It was because of her regeneration abilities, Yonji," Reiju said patiently. "Hers was the strongest, lacking any need for modifications like ours. We received it as well, but father amplified ours. Sanji's was considered 'natural'. But because he wasn't as strong as us, as amazing as we were created, father rejected him. Don't you remember when he was younger, and he bit Niji as they were children? That was the first time I remembered father delivering a beating, to warn him not to bite."

"I remember that," Ichiji muttered. "It was out of place, that father would treat him so harshly."

"I don't," Yonji said with a blank expression. "We all bit each other at some point in time."

"But it was Sanji's that enraged father the most. Mother was a biter, and that was why she was isolated in the tower to herself," Reiju said. "Why do you think father is careful to wear such concealing clothing? Mother's scars lasted far longer than any regenerator could fix."

Both brothers stared up at her with surprise and horror.

"How do you know this?" Yonji asked her, in a challenging tone. " _No way_! You're just saying stuff to freak us out again!"

"I know this stuff because we handled the study," Reiju said. "I swear it."

"I've never seen father without his long sleeves," Ichiji said slowly. "And his hair is always styled in such a way – "

" _I_ have. It was an accident," Reiju said mysteriously, crouching prettily next to Yonji, both of them leaning in once she lowered her voice. "I entered his room without knocking. I only wanted to ask him a question. He was in the middle of fixing his hair. There are bald patches on his scalp and temple that are shaped like teeth. And that one just above his eyebrow? Have you looked closely at it? It's a half crescent shape. Mother munched on him, pregnant with us, and he could do nothing to harm her."

" _You're lying_!" they both yelled at her.

"And," she lowered her voice to a whisper, causing them to lean in closer, unable to help themselves, "before father rid of his mistresses, to prevent them from speaking out, one of them complained to a servant that he was unable to pleasure them. Mother had bitten off his penis and swallowed it so that he could not repair himself properly."

Both of them stared at her with smilar disbelieving expressions, Ichiji covering himself reflexively. But neither of them could dispute that claim, their throats clogged with denials, horror – it suddenly made them wonder if these things were true, considering that their mother had lived the rest of her life in the hospital. Never having contact with their father. Suddenly reminded of the caution the nurses tended to her with. Both of them had separate memories of their mother and Reiju's words only served to make them consider that she was speaking the truth.

She giggled, standing again. She winked at them, then disappeared from view, leaving them in silence.

"I've always hated her stupid horror stories," Yonji muttered, hand over his heart. "I could never tell if she's truthin', or lying."

Ichiji didn't know what to say, but he kept rubbing his neck. Then he looked over at Niji, seeing that percentage had risen again. Mind unfocused by Reiju's story, he watched his brother for a few moments, lost in thought.

: :

Hours later, Law returned to the room with a heavy expression and a heavier backpack, saying nothing about it. He removed the black scarf he had up to his neck and the beanie that hid his ears, the sunglasses that covered the rest of his features. He changed out of those clothes, stuffing them into the trash, and changed into something more casual. Sanji watched quietly as Law then pulled bills from thick, banded bricks, and separated some from others and stuffed them into various clothing, packing everything of theirs into traveling bags. Sanji didn't understand what he was doing, but only that Law had a lot of money, and he could feel the tension coming from him, so he said nothing. He just trusted him in that he knew what he was doing, and that he was all he had from now on.

Chopper poured himself into a plastic water bottle that Sanji put into his backpack, and Law looked over the room, to make sure they had everything. He looked over their documents – Nami had created a fake ID for Sanji months ago, the high quality paperwork listing him as a legal alien living on Earth – and exhaled low. He looked over at the man that said nothing, still not revealing what _he_ felt at this time, and leaned over to kiss his forehead.

"It's just us, now," he murmured against his hair, rubbing his cheek over the top of his head. "There's no need to say any goodbyes."

Sanji said nothing, but he looked down and held his lips tight, Chopper whistling from his backpack. They left the room in silence, Law shutting the door lightly, and then leading them towards the stairway. He knew the others would come forward to offer their excuses as to why they couldn't shelter Sanji anymore, and he felt it was unfair. He didn't want to hear them, and he felt Sanji didn't deserve their 'cowardice'. He then led their way to the station, where he dropped the backpack – with extra money – in a dumpster along the way. He bought their tickets to a major space station that was centered within the apex of all parts of the universe. He figured he'd know where to go once he got there.

As the ticketmaster took their IDs, Law was bumped aside by Zoro, who threw down his credits and ID for the same destination. He frowned at him, seeing that he was sweaty and red-faced from the efforts of chasing after them.

"If it weren't for that stench of yours, I would've never known you guys left already," Zoro said, resting palms on knees, backpack shifting. "You've rubbed out your claim and territory so obviously - !"

"STOP."

"All the animals from here to there knows not to even look at him – "

"You ass. Look, what are you doing, here?" Law asked, frowning at him.

"I'm going with you guys. And don't argue, I already made up my mind."

Since it looked like Zoro was ready to argue with anything that Law might have said, Law said nothing. He felt oddly grateful, though, giving the tiger a considering look. Once their tickets were produced, the three of them walked towards the terminal. Zoro frowned over at what he could see of Tokyo from this point, revealing nothing of what he thought. Law kept his focus ahead of him, sword over one shoulder, and Sanji looked behind him, waiting for another surprise. When they rounded the corner into the terminal where they'd wait for the next flight out of Earth, he tried not to look disappointed.


	21. Time

**Guest: They were lost, but were found! :D Reiju is a good older sister - it's important to tease ; )**

 **Janshal: There you are, you little ghost. Mama Vinsmoke sure was - her legacy will live on!  
**

 **21: Time**

Sanji stared at the travelers around him, fascinated by all the shapes and sizes, the noises, the constant activity of a busy space station. While most of it was maintained in rigid order, the fact that the universe held such a diverse spectrum of beings held his attention for most of the time. They were seated in a far corner of a terminal, using jackets for blankets, bags as pillows – Zoro was snoring loudly in the midst of a nap, and Law was catching up to him in volume. Both catmen were taking advantage of their natural urge to nap, and Sanji, while exhausted from the trauma and travel, was taking in the sights around them. To their left, curiously sticklike beings argued in some odd tonal noise with each other over what looked like a map. Further from them was a blob that slowly rotated from the inside. To their left was a curved wall that extended down a escalator to which travelers hurried up in their haste to make a flight.

He looked down into his water bottle, hearing Chopper's soft concern. Reaching for the extra water that Law had bought him, Sanji poured that into Chopper, hearing him drink noisily. While he poured water into the bottle, the level of matter didn't increase – that fascinated him for those minutes while Chopper absorbed that, twirling around with a happy chirp before sputtering a contented whistle. Recapping the second water bottle, Sanji put that aside and kept Chopper in one hand. He then looked at the catmen snoring in tandem, his expression turning worried. A heavy weight of feeling hit him, and he didn't know how to identify it. He shifted closer to Law, snaking a foot around his closest heel, watching him carefully for movement. But once his position went unregistered, he relaxed and continued staring out at the world before him.

His heart ached for the loss of Zeff, but he did feel comfort in his last words. He had to accept that he had gone nearly without pain or torture – it was quick. And his death wasn't by the cancer that slowly ate him up from inside. Law had said that he'd pass eventually by this disease, so Sanji thought that Zeff took his own death as a warrior's relief – going down fighting, not struggling against an invisible growth from the inside, rendering him useless.

He understood why the group refused to house him after that – he understood that they were scared, that death wasn't normal for them. They didn't understand the sort of life that he did – he'd warned them earlier, but they had to learn this way. What he felt more rotten about was how comfortable he'd let himself be, basking in their simple warmth and friendship, enjoying their humor and moods; their environment was much different from his, and even if he didn't allow himself to experience most of that pleasure, knowing it was a matter of time, he still felt upset by the loss of it.

He was upset. He was sad. He felt low. He felt responsible, but at the same time, he'd _warned_ them. He was angry, but as he examined this emotion, he was angrier at himself. For ever thinking that life would be so easy when it had only been a hardship from the start.

He looked at the catmen again, unsure of how to feel about their companionship. He looked at them individually, taking in their snoring faces, amused with how two tough looking men could look so vulnerable. Then he thought of what his brothers would do to them once they caught up; Law, especially. Ichiji would need him to switch them back, to reattach Niji's arm. They could do horrendous things to him in front of Sanji, and Sanji knew he couldn't do anything about it but regret.

He felt his chest grow heavy with weight. He felt helpless. All those times watching his brothers torture rats and animals in front of him for their amusement made him physically ill. But then he told himself that these men were not rats – they were actual fighters, and they were capable of great things. They were like him. Sanji wondered if he had faith in himself, furrowing his brow. If he couldn't have faith in himself, then how could he have faith in others?

He exhaled low, looking at his fingers. He had been unable to stop his brothers from killing those animals, to stop them from hurting him; he had been unable to convince his father that he was worthy of saving; he had been unable to stop Zeff from dying, and his newest friends were scared of what trouble he brought to them, so they pushed him away to be safe. He felt painful frustration building in his chest. What made him worthy of continued torture of those around him when he was told that he wasn't worth anything?

Thinking about these things, he felt like such a failure, a waste of space. A reject. He had no confidence in himself as a person. He started to question _why_ the effort when he had finally been treated to the worlds outside of the dark cell, seeing their beauty and grace as something he couldn't be allowed to keep. He looked around himself, desperate for a distraction as his thoughts drifted back to the darkness of the cell. He saw a human weaving through heavy foot traffic, and he pushed himself to rise, seeing that the man was carrying something in both arms. It looked like a baby goat. An animal of that size seemed to immediately dissolve the rising feelings of worthlessness, appealing to his interests. He put Chopper down, out of reach so no one would knock him over.

He headed in that direction as the man pressed himself up against a pillar, clearly overwhelmed by so many travelers, with so many languages playing overhead with none of the signs apparently not displaying his language. With his tight, curly hair covered with a brilliant print headwrap, overalls, printed cape, faded backpack and a side carrying satchel, he looked as if he'd just left some sort of farm. He had a long nose, dark skin and a wide mouth, and he looked quite expressive. The goat called out in his arms, and he hushed it with a cape tossed over it, the animal impatiently shaking it off so it could see.

"Oh, _thank you_ , another human!" the man cried cheerily, darting in his direction. Sanji was surprised that he understood him – then touched the translator he had clipped on his ear, feeling foolish. The goat released a happy bray as they neared him, and Sanji reached out and touched it, the goat leaning into his hand. It was a small animal – either young or dwarfish – and brown with white spots. It sniffed him as the man sobbed dramatically, clutching the animal to his chest. The goat then bit Sanji and kicked frantically as Sanji retracted his hand with a startled noise, skin stinging from the bite.

"I'm so SORRY!" the man cried, bursting into another round of tears, trying to control his goat. "Are you okay? Do you still have your fingers?"

"It's fine." Sanji shrugged, reaching out to pat the goat again. The goat cried out with fear and struggled to get away, causing Sanji to pull back with a confused expression. It was the first time an animal reacted so negatively to him, and he didn't understand why.

"Listen, I can't find my terminal. This is the first time I've _ever_ been here! I've been racing all over – this has been the worst trip _of my life_! I'm going to die before I get her home! Can you help me find my way? I'm trying to get to the south blue!"

"I think so." Sanji wasn't sure if he could, but the man pulled out his ticket and showed him the contents as the goat struggled in his grasp. He eventually tucked it under one arm and pranced frantically as Sanji studied the writing, then looked up at the constantly changing screens above them. He located the terminal number, time and ship, then pointed at the ticket, then at the screen. "There. Gate 267, wing 8, level 16."

"How is that even _helpful_?" the man asked, his tone lifting with incredulity. "This is a mad house! Oh, never mind, it doesn't matter, I'm just – so happy to see another human! We're rare out here! Everyone was ignoring me!"

The man pushed his goat's head away when it tried to reach out and bite him again. Sanji stepped back with a worried look, the man pleading with it, "This man is our _savior_ , right now! We need to be _nice_ to him!"

"Oh, good, I'm starving," Zoro said suddenly, mouth watering at the sight of the animal that snapped to attention. He reached for it with trembling hands, pupils expanding ominously. "A snack!"

Sanji reached down and yanked hard on his tail, causing him to yowl and swat at him. "You jerk!"

"You asshole!"

The man retreated with his goat, who promptly pissed all over him, making him cry out with consternation. The tiger's tail snapped from side to side as he eyed the terrified animal, who then went stiff in the man's arms. Travelers walked around them with irritation, the man sobbing all over again as Sanji frowned at Zoro. The tiger gave the crier a dirty look, mumbling underneath his breath as he turned away with his shoulders slumped.

"You're such a bully," Sanji muttered.

"C'mon, stop wandering off," Zoro complained, yawning as he made his way back to their spot, Sanji following after him with a regretful look at the man and his goat. "Fuck, I'm starving. I could do with some fresh meat, right now. Look at this guy. Utterly useless. Still sleeping."

He kicked Law's foot, the catman snorting himself awake. Once he realized they were up and moving, he yawned and stretched. Sanji sat down next to him, retrieving Chopper as Zoro's stomach growled noisily, and the tiger hunched in on himself with a groan.

"Seeing that goat killed me," Zoro complained, digging in his jeans for money.

"' _Goat'_?" Law repeated, salivating as he pulled his jacket back on.

"Nice, fat and juicy. Sanji wandered off."

Law looked at Sanji with consternation as Sanji waved off Zoro's complaint. "Don't do that. You _do_ need a leash, don't you? You realize you could get lost or kidnapped. Humans are not treated well in these sorts of places. Also, those people could see you - !"

Sanji shrugged; he spoke less because lately, with all his thoughts, he couldn't find the strength or wind to say more than a few words here and there. It felt difficult to speak when he couldn't seem to articulate the painful weight in his chest, his lungs, over everything that had happened.

"Deaf ears, cat," Zoro complained, counting his money. "I need food."

"We need to save what we have for the next flight out," Law grumbled, covering his stomach as it complained noisily.

"I can't believe you robbed a bank and _threw away the money_. You can't even be a _good_ bad guy!"

"I didn't think it was necessary to have all that money! Besides, the exchanger was very suspicious about what I _did_ have when I had it changed for usable travel credits! We are lucky we got this far without being stopped."

"Earth will not bother with us if we're gone – "

"Germa can learn our location if they tracked Earth funds!"

" _ARGH_!"

All of them looked up as the man with the goat approached them, and both catmen were then standing at complete attention, looking upon the terrified animal with hunger. Sanji then understood why the goat had bitten him – it had smelled the scent of those he was traveling with, and only responded appropriately. He felt relieved knowing this, having thought that even animals were going to reject him from now on.

The man clutched his animal tightly before he looked at him. To placate him, he stood up in front of the catmen, placing himself between them and him.

" _Don't eat her_! Please! Look, take my bag. Here. _Take it_!" the man said, bumping his hip out, indicating a small satchel. "There's food in there. Take it! It's all I have! Just don't eat my goat! Look, _please_ , I need help finding my way there!"

"Look, guy, we're in no state to help you right now, when we're this close to making that delicious thing a meal," Zoro said, slurping up his saliva as Law followed the goat with every movement the man made. The animal had gone stiff again, deadweight as terror rendered it paralyzed. "Where you headed?"

"South Blue. My planet, we're – close to the Vega system. It's a farming planet, we grow crops and distribute them to other places of interest throughout the galaxy. We're a peaceful people, we're not any trouble."

"What's so special about her?" Law asked, drooling.

"She's a god. She was away on business."

Both catmen straightened up and stared at him with disbelieving expressions while Sanji looked at the goat with surprised respect. The goat looked normal to them – it blinked its eyes slowly, one ear lifted, then resumed playing dead.

"She encourages our crops to grow strong and wide," the man said with pride.

"I'm sure even _gods_ taste delicious," Zoro muttered to Law.

"It looks _scrumptious_ ," Law whined.

"I'll have the head, you have the ass. Give Sanji the scraps."

"YOU CAN'T EAT HER, our crops will DIE! _We_ will DIE!" With a huff, the man shifted the goat from one arm to the other. "Look, my name's Ussop. Where you guys headed?"

"No where in mind. Someplace quiet," Law said, pursing his lips. He licked his lips, struggling to look away from the animal that continued to play dead in the face of larger predators. "What is your planet like?"

"Peaceful. Very quiet. Full of fields, water and we're limited on technology," Ussop said cautiously, eyeing them and their swords. Both catmen looked intimidating – one tall and skinny with anxious actions, the other burly and cross - but their tough appearance was ruined by the visible drooling and wide pupils set on his goat. The human looked his age, but he seemed to _glow_ – standing there with a vague smile and tired eyes, interested in his goat like a child would. "We're not big on fighting, we're wimps. We just farm. You guys are a weird trio, what's your story? I thought half-men didn't mix well with humans."

"We're from the calm belt. Just looking for a place to…avoid big noise," Zoro said.

"You aren't _criminals_ , are you?" Ussop asked suspiciously, holding his goat out of their reach. "Am I going to get into trouble for talking to you?"

Law and Zoro said nothing, Sanji looking worried.

" _Probably_ not," Zoro lied.

"Give us your goat, first," Law said, hand out.

Ussop sniffled, trying not to sob again. He clutched his deity close, burying his face into her neck before pulling away. "Listen, just help direct me to my ship, and we'll be on our way! Our morning worship needs to start with her being there!"

"These guys think a _goat_ is a _god_ ," Zoro said to Law, as if Law didn't hear. "If they're that goofy in the head, they might be our best bet."

"What are your people like?" Law asked Ussop curiously, reaching out and grabbing Sanji as Sanji caught sight of what looked like a massive deer roaming through the terminal, its antlers spread wide, four eyes blinking in unison. Both catmen caught sight of the animal as Ussop fumbled with his answer, the goat craning its head over his shoulder to look at the deer as well.

"Uh, well, we're non animal, really, but…mostly androids. Worker bots. Cyborgs. Uh…we're peaceful, so we're very laid back and calm and - ! Of course, our god is a goat! To bring upon us happiness and prosperity!" he then exclaimed, holding her high above his head before pulling her in tight against his chest.

"Sounds interesting. What about Imperials?"

"Oh, no…there's really no known empires or such in our part of the galaxy. No one rules over us. We really don't encounter any trouble. No known predators," Ussop added.

"Do you guys need help?" Zoro asked, Law looking at him with a start.

"We can't go there," he hissed.

"If they're mostly farmers comprised of humans and androids, they're not going to have the technology Germa needs to locate us there. They're mainly appliance related. Farming communities often lack access to huge cities, governments and military units," Zoro said. "It'll be like living in the country with no Wi-Fi."

" _Ugh_."

"Don't 'ugh'! It's good! Besides, while we're there, we'll find somebody that can direct us to a better place," Zoro added. "If we venture into a heavily populated area with high traffic, they're going to look there, first. They won't think to look at a simple farming community – most of these places don't keep track of human workers because of the high volume of drop-out rates. They work only to feed themselves – like living in poverty."

"True," Ussop muttered, shrugging. The goat brayed. "It's not a bad life. It's not exciting, either. We don't have things like… 'Wi-Fi', and the only visitors we get are ships that haul out our crops. We're not even governed by any formal entity – we're simple village people. We don't even have telephonic satellites to communicate with outside people – just satellites to keep our machinery working."

"You have experience with this?" Law asked Zoro, tightening his fingers in Sanji's shirt as Sanji stepped away again, catching sight of a fast moving mouse man that darted in and out of the high traffic line nearby. He drew the man back against him, holding him in place like a parent would with a child, Sanji scowling. "This sort of life, this sort of planet? How will we make funds to travel away from there if we need to?"

"It's no big deal, stop overthinking! Besides, we can train there in peace." Zoro reached over and rapped on Sanji's head to catch his attention, Sanji looking at him with a pained expression. "And _you_ can train, too! We need to talk about your eating habits - !"

"We'll assist with you," Law told Ussop, pushing Zoro's head aside to force him to stop talking. "As long as we can join you back to your planet. We're not outlaws, or anything of the sort. But I'm sure we can help."

"Uh, one thing, though. We're all vegetarians," Ussop said slowly. "We don't eat meat, we don't use fur in our clothing, and – if you're both predators, you'll need to get used to eating proteins, tofu, non-meat products. My people will accept you without no question, just to warn you. We're real big on animals."

"We're _not_ going," Zoro decided.

"Not even fish?" Law asked.

"Oh, we have fish! We just don't eat them."

"We're going," Law told Zoro.

Ussop looked at them with horror. "You can't _eat_ them! They're dirty! They're disgusting creatures! They spread famine and disease and they're gross to the touch! They're pests! They eat all our water!"

"Look, we're going. We're useful. He's a really good cook, I'm a surgeon, and he's…well…he'll scare away scary animals for you."

"And other predators," Zoro assured Ussop seriously.

"We really have no where else to go. Please take us in. I'm sure there's something we can contribute to."

Fretting, Ussop examined them, the goat in his arms staring at them with seemingly unblinking eyes. Then he looked at Sanji, who looked at him with a slight smile. All three of them looked exhausted, tense and miserable – stinking of travel. Whatever the relationship was with them, he assumed the catmen were a couple and the human was their slave – or adopted kid, _something_ – but while they looked scary, they didn't seem evil. The tall one spoke with a sort of educated air, while the shorter one seemed in charge – but neither dangerous. Florence wasn't reacting to them with alarm – just terror, considering how they openly salivated as they looked at her.

He exhaled heavily, and nodded. "Sure."

: :

The planet they arrived on lush, green, vibrant with life. The mountains were small, rounded, covered with rows upon rows of man-made fields. The flats of the land were fields of food, with large running rivers, very small settlements in between. Huge pieces of machinery floated in lazy action – picking up water and spraying over these fields, or tending to replanting, removing sections of trees with massive umbrellas of green. They flew in on a very small ship with a cyborg pilot that barely looked at them.

The goat had her own seat, looking out the window with interest, Sanji pressed against his, taking in the sight of everything with an expression of awe. He leaned over to grab Law's jacket, the man staring at the goat with intense concentration, forcing him to look out the window. He shook his head, not enjoying the sight of being so far from the ground. But he did linger against Sanji for a few moments, before nosing his hairline, kissing him there before anyone else could notice.

"Can I just pet her?" Zoro asked Ussop, leaning over his seat as he stared at the goat. Ussop trembled, looking up at those visible teeth, drool leaving the corner of his mouth with slow action.

"It's probably best that you don't," he said reluctantly, pulling the goat onto his lap and using his body to shield her.

Ussop then looked over to see Law close his fingers over Sanji's thigh, saying low, "Don't run off. Stay in sight. Don't talk to anybody unnecessarily. Please don't look in full detail at anyone until we know for sure if they're fine with it. Not everyone outside of Earth is okay with certain relationships."

Sanji looked at him with a frown, but he conceded with a nod.

"Does he not talk much?" Ussop asked Zoro curiously.

"He does. Little shit's got a foul mouth and a bratty disposition. You'll wish he'd shut up, more," Zoro commented, lip curling. Ussop wasn't sure how to decode that expression. There wasn't any animosity to him, but the way he spoke suggested a sort of superior attitude over the other.

"He is… _important_? Or something? The way you two crowd him - ?"

"No. No importance. _Hey_!" Zoro then snapped at them, shifting away from the seat to venture over to the pair, both of whom looked at him sharply. "I thought we agreed on this – "

"But we don't know how accepting these people are - !" Law argued with him, flustered before Zoro turned and looked at Ussop.

"Is there a problem here with people not accepting homos?"

"… _Huh_?" Ussop asked with a clueless expression.

"You know. Men who like other men."

"No. What…like…why would it be bad?" Ussop asked, bewildered. "In this community, it's whoever wants you! Nobody's picky, here. Why? Are you…'homos'?"

"You guys are fine," Zoro then said to Law, as if Law didn't hear this. He looked annoyed, Ussop looking at them with a bewildered expression as the goat turned to look at them as well, seemingly understanding their conversation.

"It's important that people know their relationship," Zoro muttered with a disgusted look. "So it's not a surprise if anybody makes a wrong move on either of them. Fucking _childish_."

"Look," Law said, his face red, "I know it's my fault. It was over before I knew what happened, and I've made a very conscious effort this time to keep it from happening again."

"W-w-what did you do?" Ussop asked, freezing as his heightened danger senses caught whiff of something ominous in the catman's words.

"He mauled this dude in a restroom a few stations back," Zoro said as Law fell silent, looking ashamed of himself. "We had to stuff his body into a floor vent to prevent being detected _so early on_ in our goddamn trip."

Ussop paled, the goat stiffening up in his arms with similar fright. He studied the taller catman – sure, he had an intense face, and he constantly vibrated with anxious action, but he didn't _seem_ dangerous. He looked mangy to Ussop – with patches of white on his skin and missing fur on his tail. But he had tattoos, and he had a mean growl. Ussop reconsidered his malfunctioning warning senses.

"I had a good reason," Law mumbled, reaching over to sit Sanji back in his seat. He then reached out and rubbed the man's throat with his fingers, in a vaguely intimate gesture that made Ussop feel like he had witnessed something too personal. So he blushed and looked away, pretending that he didn't.

"But…you don't seem like a mauler," Ussop pointed out.

"I'm _not_!"

"He's a nervous wimp. We're working on him, though," Zoro assured Ussop, the cyborg telling them that they were going to land, soon. "The other guy will steal your animals' affections, so lock them up tight. I refuse to sleep with other animals."

Ussop stared at him, unable to understand his meaning. He looked from him to Law again, wondering if this was some sort of polyamorous thing.

"For some reason, animals like him. Not this guy, though," Zoro said, sitting and resuming staring at the goat that fitted herself against Ussop, trying to hide from him. " _This_ guy's smart."

" _Her_ ," Ussop corrected. "Her name is Florence. She is our deity."

Zoro shrugged, sure that Florence would taste good raw or cooked.

Once they landed, they gathered their things and disembarked, Florence leading the way. The air was crisp, with a slight nip in temperature, promising cold later on in the evening. Milling around the landing site were people dressed similar to Ussop, and they all cheered once the goat appeared before them. A small band played jovially, but it was the sight of watery beings clustered in the background that made Sanji fumble with his water bottle. He poured Chopper out while Law and Zoro watched with similar expressions as the goat was praised over by respectful bows, wreaths tossed in her direction, older people crying with exaltation at her hooves. She stood still, taking in their adoration grandly, children setting out small bowls with grain in front of her. Ussop joined in with their revelry, happy crying.

"This is _ridiculous_ ," Zoro muttered under his breath, not seeing Sanji rejoice as Chopper and the other watery beings greeted each other cheerfully, expanding and shrinking in size, revealing similar antlers, noises and mass as they swept around each other.

'Hi!' Chopper greeted, his tonal voice vaguely clear. The others answered back in their language. They then separated from each other, reforming their bodies and chirping while Sanji watched with a thrilled smile.

"Goats are food, not gods," Law agreed, still hungry. He surveyed the people that worshiped Florence, finding them healthy and happy. They didn't have harsh expressions that he expected of farmers. None of them carried any sort of weapon, and most had curly hair in random braids. They wore aprons, dresses, trousers in matching browns and greens, fitting for their surroundings – and it didn't seem to matter what gender wore what. Most of the kids ran about with long hair and clothing that made it near impossible to tell gender. This was something new for him, too, so he couldn't help but look on with interest. He'd come from a place where gender was black and white, and Earth – and this place – was definitely fascinating with their lack of lines.

Then he looked quickly to see if Sanji were nearby, and watched as Chopper interacted with the other Water Mites, all talking excitedly with each other. He elbowed Zoro to look, and once he did, he was surprised, too. Law walked over because seeing this was more exciting than watching people worship a goat. As he did so, Chopper raced about him, uttering tonal noises that were answered by the other beings, but apparently they all accepted him as well.

"Ah! So _that's_ what he was carrying!" Ussop exclaimed, catching sight of the group.

"Water Mite?" Zoro asked, frowning.

Ussop slapped his arm, then clutched his hand with pain. "No, they're water _givers_! They help this world flourish! Without them, we couldn't grow during certain times of the year! They regulate temperature and mass and provide – all of them are precious!"

"They're _pests_ in our line of duty," Zoro said, Ussop choking in mid noise. He looked up at him with horror.

"' _Pests'_? What's _wrong_ with you people? Water Givers are the source of _life_!" Ussop watched as Florence pranced away, calling out for the other goats that were walking their way. A couple of kids followed her, giggling as they threw out rose petals in her path. Zoro reached out and snagged Sanji's arm before he could follow, catching sight of the animals.

"Bad," Zoro repeated firmly, Sanji ripping his arm away with a growl and an insulted expression. " _Bad_."

"Anyway, c'mon, I'll introduce you!" Ussop then said cheerily, waving them towards the people that were looking their way curiously. Most of them wandered over with cheerful greetings, innately curious about the half beasts. They had to look up to do so – the tallest of them was still inches shorter than Zoro and Sanji. The kids immediately hid behind the adults, but everyone's faces changed from interested to terrified. Some froze, some stared with horror – then they looked absolutely awed, whispering hastily to each other. "Everyone! Listen! These guys helped me out! This is Zoro, Law, and Sanji! And their companion, Chopper!"

Questions rang out, most of them with joy and delight as they watched their Water Givers crowding around them without fear or hesitation, Chopper whistling merrily as he curled around Law's shoulders. A few brave souls ventured forward to look at them, eyes wide at the sight of their beastly characteristics. Their excitement caused them a little nervousness.

"Ussop, tell them we don't like to be touched," Zoro said, snatching his tail and wrapping it around his waist.

"For some reason, they like you guys," Sanji muttered, surprised. He hit Law's chest with the back of his hand as he heard a low growl coming from him, already warning some of the braver kids to back away from him. "Be _nice_."

Ussop relayed the message to his village people, then stepped to them with an excited wave. "Come! Let me give you a tour of the place! You guys can stay with me, I've got a nice place."

"This world is really quiet and…different," Law said, reaching out and grabbing Sanji once he saw the blond interested in a row of moving plant stalks that had four legged creatures roaming through them, whining. He hesitated for a moment, but then held his hand instead.

The townspeople were looking at Sanji with expressions of admiration, clearly captivated by the sight of him. They made indications of his glow, by the sight of his hair, and he paused in mid step to look them over as well. He reached out to capture one woman's hands and examined them, touching her calluses and stained fingers, the woman blushing as others giggled around her. Then he reached out and touched a man's free flowing hair, tight curls captured in his fingers as the man looked at him with both fright and appreciation of his own. The hands of brave children reached up and touched Sanji's jeans, awed at the material before examining his shoes, touching his backpack. Most of them wanted to touch his hair, but they were too short.

Law could feel his chest tightening, and he struggled to keep this ugly jealousy at bay as some of the village people reached out to touch Sanji's face, all of them with curious expressions. He heard himself growl, and he struggled not to do so – but his jaw tightened and his teeth clenched and he blinked repeatedly to calm himself. Chopper's nubby hands grasped him by his jawline, giving a low noise as the weight of him registered on Law, reminding him not to make any sudden moves.

Then he just couldn't take the sight of people pawing at the man, so he reached out and grabbed Sanji by the hand to walk off with him, growling low, ears flattened. Some of the people that were watching didn't react to the sight of the action with negativity – they looked at each other with understanding, delighted to find that this was something they could identify with.

The villagers' welcoming and awed curiosity eased Law's tension as the group began separating to head off into different directions while a smaller group followed them from a short distance.

"From sun up to sun down, we work in the fields! But today is special because Florence is back," Ussop was saying. Law studied their houses – they were on stilts, lifted nearly thirty feet above the soft dirt, and building from mud, stone and wood. There were solar panels attached to the steeple roofs, heavy wooden doors, wide porches to allow them access to neighbor's homes, and animals raced freely about. He was more interested in how these people lived than the attention the people had for them. More villagers ventured out from their homes to stare at them curiously, kids racing away from their families to join those that were trailing after them.

"Do you guys have any experience with this?" Ussop asked, Zoro looking around with curiosity.

"Just a little," he said. " _These_ two need to be trained."

"As long as you're willing to help, we're more than willing to provide!" Ussop said cheerfully. "Listen, the Water Givers come through sometimes, dragging the river from one side to the other. That's why our houses stand so high."

"'Dragging'?"

"Yes! Twice a day! You'll see. Over there," Ussop pointed in the distance, where heavy machinery operated, large, horseshoe like shapes taking to the air to slowly hover over some fields nearby, "is the machinery district. It's comprised mainly of androids and farming tools. And over there, is Florence's palace."

He pointed off to a grand, stone like castle. Zoro's mouth dropped open, and he shielded his eyes from the sun to see goats perched in various areas – as well as birds, monkeys and what looked to be a large cat prowling near the front gates. The screeches of birds, braying of goats and shrill screams from the monkeys made a terrible noise.

"Every morning, just before sunrise, we gather over here. We begin our day with morning prayer, to allow Florence to bestow us with her good fortune," Ussop pointed to a worn circle just outside of the village with several large stone statues surrounding it. Most of them were carvings of animal gods in all their prancing glory. They were half animal, half man, all of them holding various items of importance. Zoro and Law looked at the statues with flat expressions, then looked at each other, suddenly understanding why the villagers were treating them as they were.

Ussop's face brightened with delight. He looked at them again, as if seeing them for the first time, then at the statues. "I _thought_ everyone was making a big deal out of nothing! I just thought they were admiring you guys because you're carrying big swords and everything. Well, doesn't that change all! Maybe it was fate that brought us together!"

At the delighted sound of a goat calling out, everyone turned in Florence's direction. She stood nearby, ears flicking. Most of the villagers gasped, looking from her to them. She walked around them, both catmen eyeing her with extreme restraint. She then nodded and started eating on some greens nearby, tail flicking.

"She has _decided_ ," Ussop said with a clenched fist. "She has _welcomed_ you three to her home."

The villagers cheered noisily, Florence startled and running a short distance away before finding other things to eat.

"Please take this seriously," Zoro whispered to Law.

Law gritted his teeth. "I am trying _so hard_ …!"

"Will we be served fish, though?" Zoro asked, causing them all to falter, then stare at him with horror. Even Florence looked at him, uttering a short noise. She suddenly darted off, her goat friends running with her.

Ussop cleared his throat, looking at him with a vexing expression. But he spoke with intense disgust, voice lowered to a whisper. "Ah, _no_. Fish are not edible, here. They are…abominations. Even the Water Givers don't touch them. I'm sorry, we can't help you, there."

" _Who_ made us come here?" Zoro asked, looking at Law directly. Law looked off into the distance, stomach growling. Sanji reached over and patted it gently. "If I walk away from this place a vegetarian, _you_ are going to be the first one I eat."

"Why did you trust me in the first place? _You know_ I don't know what I'm doing half the time!"

"I thought with your new balls you had an idea!"

"Obviously, I don't have hair on them, yet."

"Let's get you comfortable!" Ussop said, interrupting the growling and snarling after, Sanji looking around himself with a smile, unbothered by the display of tension. "Come!"

At his house, located near the edge of town – where Florence clearly roamed, her walking trail surrounding his house – the three of them were treated to a cozy set up. It was a one room spread, but the other villagers hurried over with extras. Ussop showed them the bathroom, and ran a bath – the setup was run by solar energy, and there was plenty of it. The trio settled in, eating with grateful action the food that the villagers also brought over, and fell asleep with full bellies.

In the morning, Ussop rose with the chirp of the birds, readied himself and looked over at the three still sleeping. He brushed his teeth and fixed his hair and by the time he made his way to the front door, the other villagers were making their way to the prayer circle. Florence called out anxiously, causing other animals to take up the call.

He looked behind him to close the door when Sanji scooted out with him, looking bright and chipper. With a warning finger, Ussop said, " _Behave_. I noticed those guys watching you closely, so I'll take on their task. Don't wander off, don't talk to people, and don't look at them."

Sanji scowled at him impatiently. "They only say that to make themselves feel better."

"Aren't you a grown man?" Ussop asked curiously, making his way downstairs, the other villagers delighted in seeing that Sanji was with him. "Those two treated you like..."

"Like I said, it makes them feel good."

"That's a strange thing to say," Ussop said, eyebrow lifted.

"It's complicated. How you know this language?" Sanji asked, looking for a translator.

Proudly, Ussop touched his chest. "I am the unofficial ambassador for my village! I'm the one that takes Florence wherever she needs to go. So I had to learn this language."

"This…'business trip'? What goat have with _business_?"

"It was up to her to decide what sort of crops we're to plant for next year, so we attended a farmers' convention to decide what is in demand," Ussop explained, as they walked the trail down to the prayer circle, where Florence stood in the center. Everyone gathered around her, seating themselves in a neat circle. Sanji sat next to Ussop, kids crowding around him with sleepy expressions. All of them were happy to see that Sanji was joining them, eager to show off their custom to a foreigner. Pleased to have been accepted without any prejudice, Sanji felt welcomed and eager to learn something new, mimicking their positions.

Florence gave three barks, and all of them lowered their heads, silent. Sanji followed their lead, seeing that the kids were peeking at them, the adults closing their eyes. For some seconds, the world around them was quiet. Nothing made a sound. Even the machinery had stilled. Florence began nibbling at someone's headwrap, then pranced off. Seeing that everyone's head was still lowered made him stay in that position. He and the kids exchanged silly faces until another goat called out in the distance, and everyone sat up straight, exhaling grandly. Then they all stood, brushing themselves off, and went their separate directions. Sanji followed after Ussop as the man shooed off the kids.

"Why pray?" he asked curiously, walking beside him. "To goat?"

"You guys _don't_?" Ussop asked, horrified. "Do you _have_ any gods?"

"No. Just man. Man is god."

"So _weird_ ," Ussop commented, looking at him with bewilderment. "C'mon! You can stick with me, today, let those beasts rest! I'll show you around!"

By the time they returned home that evening, Sanji had draped himself over Ussop's back and was making him carry him back to the village. Ussop struggled with each step, grunting and complaining as the Water Givers swirled around them with cheerful noises, the village kids laughing and making fun of them both. Ussop dumped him before he reached the stairs, huffing.

"I don't know where you come from, but here, we don't usually do things like this," he said firmly. "You need to toughen up, mister. I can't keep babying you."

Sanji crossed his ankles, looking at his hands with dismay. They trembled, blisters formed on his palms and fingers. His back ached and his face felt sunburned. He'd spent most of the day helping the kids pluck what looked like chokeberries from lettuce-like leaves, then plucking open pods to remove shards of fat that left his fingertips stained. His entire body ached from constant movement. He was bewildered how the kids that had helped him all day could still have the energy to run about.

Chopper appeared at his side, asking, 'All right?'

Sanji nodded as Law walked out from the house, looking down at him with a frown. Ussop, hands on his hips, said with motherly disapproval, "This one is not used to hard work, is he? Did you pamper him where you came from?"

"No. We didn't do this type of work," Law said, looking over the villagers that were returning, all of them talking cheerily as they returned with dirtied clothes and high spirits. There were elderly visitors to Ussop's house all day, greeting the catmen and feeding them surprisingly filling meals while chatting about their planet's benefits. Law had to admit, he'd never felt so welcome anywhere, his entire life. The villagers treated the pair like they were gods. They gave them recently sewn clothing to ward off the slight chill, with matching designs to fit the village colors.

"Zoro went fishing."

" _EW_!" Ussop exclaimed as Sanji stood up, brushing himself off, wincing at the cringe in his back. "How can you do something like that? Fish are disgusting! _Nasty_!"

"They're common where we're from, and they're excellent sources of protein," Law said, waving at Sanji to come up. Once he reached him, Law took his hands in his, studying them. Ussop thought it was both weird and yet nice to see the catman look at the human the way he was – with both adoration and concern. "Trying something new? That's good, I hope you had a good time."

"it was different. Interesting to know where food come from," Sanji answered gruffly, cheeks turning red under Law's examination.

Law leaned in to sniff him, lightly licking his temple before giving a deep inhale of his hair, his neck, releasing his hands to brush through his hair. It was comparable to seeing a mother cat looking over one of her children, making sure they were in good health after some brief adventure. Ussop wondered if he'd start licking him clean, soon, and wrinkled his nose at the thought.

"Good, you ate. Come clean up."

"Somehow that's gross, too," Ussop muttered, walking up. "How can you lick somebody and tell if they ate?"

"I can taste the extra protein, and he smells different," Law explained, motioning Sanji to the bathroom to take a bath. "So, one of your older villagers, they mentioned that foreigners are rare, here."

"Yes. It's not that exciting, I guess," Ussop said with a shrug, unwrapping his hair. "Plus, with the lack of technology, it's just not that interesting. Which is fine – we're peaceful people, here. Can't harm a fly."

Law frowned, chewing on his claws as he heard Sanji splashing around. Ussop found some nail clippers and tossed them to him impatiently. Using it, Law murmured, "Then we won't be staying very long."

"It's fine if you guys do! Everyone really took a liking to you," Ussop said merrily, watching as Chopper formed in the doorway, sliding in with a curious sound. "And you have a Water Giver, which makes you very important people, indeed. Water Givers are very picky about whom they chose to watch over."

"Why?"

"Because they're givers of _life_!" Ussop cried dramatically, hands in the air. "They provide the ultimate gift! They are gods!"

"Everything is a 'god' to you."

"Water Givers only choose people that are pure hearted because they themselves are pure!" Ussop said, hands shaking. Law made a face, sure that this man was much too dramatic. Surely, his life was that boring that this was his only way of making it exciting. "So for you to have been chosen - !"

"We tried to kill it. Numerous times."

" _WHY_?"

"Because it ate up all the water, and we'd all die."

"You people don't deserve him!" Ussop snarled at him, shaking a fist in his direction.

"Sanji saved it."

"That guy is utterly useless," Ussop said with a grave headshake and a sigh, but Law did not feel any ill will towards him because of his words. "Most kids don't get the attention that he does. I ended up having to go find him, _twice_!"

"His attention does wander, but he's not useless."

"You guys baby him too much. He is a grown man. He needs to do grown man things. How is he going to be self supporting if he has you to rely on, all the time?" Ussop asked on a lecturing tone, looking at him sternly.

"He'll make it on his own, I'm sure. But I won't let him."

" _Humph_ ," Ussop muttered, hands on his hips again. "I suppose it's all up to me, then. I can't take on anymore tasks. My hands are full as it is. But if you insist – "

"No one has insisted upon you anything."

" – then I'll have to teach him to be independent and self-sufficient."

"But if you're there teaching him this, then he wouldn't be independent and self-sufficient, because you're telling him what to do."

Ussop made to speak, then lost words as he thought about them. He looked at Chopper, pointing at Law. "Kill him. This is Florence's order."

"You're an idiot."

"I bring you guys home, take you into my house, and take care of your kid, and you call _me_ an idiot?" Ussop asked, outraged. Sanji peeked out from the bathroom just to make sure things were okay, but he was amused by the exchange, finding it hard to be offended. He saw that Law had a similar expression as Ussop stood up to him.

Zoro walked in at that moment, shirtless, and Sanji's eyes widened with awe at the sight of him. The tiger was carrying some fish in one hand, and Ussop shrieked as he saw this. Quickly, Sanji dried off and dressed in the clothes Law had set out, hearing Ussop freak out.

"This looks like salmon, but it has weird teeth. These other guys practically swam up to me, begging to be caught!" Zoro exclaimed, setting them all into the sink. He washed his hands and then pulled his shirt out of his belt, pulling it back on. "COOK! Get out here and make yourself useful!"

"Oh, they all look so scrumptious!" Law said, looking over the glistening scales, smelling them with a happy expression.

"Oh my god, did someone try to _kill_ you?" Ussop asked, mesmerized by Zoro's scar, then examining the fur trail down his spine. He reached out to touch when Zoro whirled on him, snarling, causing him to shriek and jump back. Sanji left the bathroom, straightening his sweater before kicking Zoro aside.

"I can cook, tonight," he said to Ussop, rolling up his sleeves as Zoro made to retaliate, but Law loomed over him with a warning. Caught up with the sudden tension, Ussop stared at the two that glared at each other, tails snapping. "It will be good. You change mind about fish, entirely!"

" _But_ …!" Ussop pointed at the two men.

"Don't worry about them. They kill each other, we wear their skin as coats…and they _probably_ taste extra delicious," Sanji added in a murmur, both catmen turning to look at him with twin expressions of horror. Sanji chuckled as he felt their attention on him.

"That's not even funny," Zoro muttered, turning away. "I'm going to go back outside to do something manly. I've got some built up aggression."

"I'm going to go groom," Law mumbled, scratching his goatee.

Ussop didn't understand why both catmen had turned extremely nervous, reduced to anxious ear flicking and stiff tails. But they both walked off hastily, hurrying down the stairs. He looked back at Sanji as he hummed, locating a few knives from his drawer.

"Are you some sort of animal tamer?" he asked suspiciously, taking a seat at his battered kitchen table.

"We didn't have many, where I'm from."

"Where are you from?"

"North Blue."

"I know, but _where_ …?" Ussop asked with exasperation.

"I don't…remember. Most of my life was spent in a cell…I'm recently freed. Enjoying my freedom, now."

Ussop held his lips in an 'o' before he exclaimed, "That's terrible! But I guess it makes sense, with how easily distracted you are by everything…"

"What's 'terrible' is how dull these knives are," Sanji admonished, looking for a sharpener. Ussop showed him how to use it, and watched as Sanji cleaned them after. He refused to watch as Sanji selected one of the fish, admiring it for those moments. Sanji heard Zeff's voice in his head explaining to him how to identify dangerous fish, and which parts shouldn't be touched. He set the fish down into the cutting board, cleaver over the animal. Fingers tightening over the center of it, he then froze in that position, feeling immense sadness well up in him.

For a moment, he couldn't breathe. His throat clogged, and he blinked repeatedly, lowering the cleaver.

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Did that fish make you sick? Are you going to _die_?" Ussop asked, rising from his seat with panic, seeing him only from behind.

Sanji shook his head tightly, fighting to overcome those feelings that threatened to break through. He swallowed hard, and tightened his mouth, aware of something building up inside of him. He gripped the sink, looking at the solar powered lights to maintain some control. A rushing between his ears thundered noisily, and his lungs tightened. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe, feeling a strong blockage build hotly between his heart and throat. He turned away from the sink, thinking he needed fresh air, and bumped into unmoving surface, immediately wrapped in strong warmth.

"Breathe, breathe, _breathe_ , it's okay," Law said to him gently, before leaning down to blow softly over his face, and that was all Sanji needed. That block left his chest, and he heard himself give a sharp sound, feeling Law hold him again, rocking him gently. "It's okay, let it out, it's okay…"

Sanji grabbed his arms, to push him away – he needed air – but his body didn't listen to him. He ended up holding onto him instead, grieving noisily. " _He was so nice to me_!"

"Yes, he was. He cared about you very much, Sanji. You were all he talked about when I worked on him. Don't think for a second that he doubted his decision," Law said to him, stroking his hair as he held him tightly.

"I couldn't help him! I couldn't do _anything_ , _I couldn't_ \- !"

"Don't blame yourself, there was nothing anybody could do in your position. Those bastards knew it. It's not your fault, _it's not_. Zeff knew what they were capable of, and yet he loved you anyway. It's okay to cry, let it out…let me help you, I have you, just let it out…"

Zoro popped in with an alarmed expression, Ussop clueless as he paused just inside the doorway, unsure of what was happening. Seeing the two, Zoro exhaled with vague relief. He walked over to just to make sure he wasn't needed, for Law to acknowledge him being there. Law nodded to indicate that he had the situation handled, so Zoro head bumped him lightly to show approval of the gesture, then ruffled Sanji's hair with an affectionate hand before walking away. He gave a grim smile, then pulled Ussop out with him, shutting the door behind him.

"What _happened_?" Ussop asked with alarm. "Is that fish killing him? I don't know what to do! Who should I get? Should we kill it ourselves?"

"No, everything's alright. He finally broke down. This is a good thing. This is good," Zoro repeated, leaning against the railing to look over the village, hearing Sanji's muffled wailing, Law's quiet comforting. Worried, Ussop looking from him to his door, then struggled to relax as he saw that Zoro wasn't bothered in the least. The tiger only looked thankful.

"He lost his father. A lot of bad things happened. I guess he just intended on keeping it to himself, but…it's not always a good thing. He's not on his own, anymore, he doesn't have to do that," Zoro added, more as reflection than conscious thought.

" _Oh_ ," Ussop murmured, relaxing now that he knew no one was in any danger. His entire body slumped with relief. "Oh, that's too bad. You're right, it's good to release it, now. Huh."

"C'mon. Let's give him some privacy. He'll be okay."

"Yeah, okay, you're right. Come! Let me show you the other side of the village, the _dangerous_ side," Ussop then said, taking the stairs down as Zoro followed.

"What 'dangerous' side? The only danger I see are those curves, over there!"

"BAD! Bad! Those women belong to us!"

: :

Hours later, Law found Zoro and Ussop standing near the blacksmith's, where they were watching him weld a black bladed axe. Ussop was sitting on the fence, Zoro watching the other man with intense fascination as Law walked up to them, following by people that looked up at him awe.

"He okay?" Zoro asked.

"Yes."

"It's good he was able to express that. He wasn't acting himself for awhile."

"Right?'

"Look at this," Zoro said, pointing at the axe. "You ever hear of this? 'Haki'?"

"No. What is it?"

"It's what some guys use to strengthen their weapons – "

" _Tools_!" Ussop insisted tiredly.

" – to make them stronger. They use their fighting – "

" _Working_!"

" – spirit to make their weapons strong, to cut through anything."

Law looked over with interest, noting that the blade was no longer black. The blacksmith set it down, and then grinned at them both. "How?"

"You _will_ it! Everyone here knows how to do it! I'm strongest, of course, being that I'm Florence's ambassador," Ussop bragged, hand to chest.

The blacksmith said something to him, which caused Ussop to sputter with an insulted expression. The elderly man turned to the catman gesturing at Zoro to pick up a sword. He unsheathed one, the blacksmith exaggerating his own movements to have Zoro follow his example. He demonstrated with the axe once more, the blade turning colors before he brought it down over his own anvil.

Law was in awe.

Zoro concentrated on his own sword, straining to force his will over his sword. Law looked at him, then tilted his head.

"Are you trying to poop?"

" _NO_!"

Ussop snickered, then laughed outright at Zoro's reddened expression. Law shrugged.

"Can anyone use haki? Or is that just something that's natural for you guys?" Zoro asked.

"I'll translate," Ussop said, gesturing at the blacksmith to explain. It took a few moments, but he explained, "It's a spiritual force, a will – if you have a strong will to accomplish something, to know what you are absolute with, then you can force it over yourself, over your tool."

"We're staying," Zoro told Law. "This is the type of training we need. It's of basic origins, used for basic things, but I've never heard of this concept, before!"

"I just…don't want to endanger anyone," Law muttered low, Ussop straining to hear what was being said.

"I don't think they'll be able to find us this quick," Zoro said. "It took them six months to get to Earth."

"We used our IDs to pay for the tickets," Law reminded him.

"Just to the station! All we had to do was pay cash up front to the cyborg that brought us in!"

Law remembered this, thinking that it was odd to do so. He shrugged, still doubting that they'd have so much time here.

"We'll learn this, we'll master it, and be out before then. We'll be long gone. The universe is a big place."

"Well…I came to talk about that, too," Law said slowly, gesturing at him to walk out with him. Zoro sheathed his sword and followed, Ussop and the blacksmith looking at each other with puzzled looks.

"My last conversation with Corazon, I told him I wasn't coming back," Law said, once they were far enough away so that Ussop couldn't overhear. With some nervousness, he added, "I told him I'd…I'd taken a human as a mate."

"Well, it'll eventually get out there."

"Those two hate humans. He would've been fine if I were on my own to escape Doflamingo's reach, but once he heard that…I realized what sort of position I was putting him in. So I cut ties with him, too."

Zoro's eyebrows lifted. "With your own father?"

"Yeah."

"So…more than likely, Doflamingo's going to find out you're not going back to give him your life, and…"

"He's going to be looking for me."

"So we've got Germa _and_ the Donquixotes looking for us."

"Yes."

"Even more reason to master this haki," Zoro said, fist curled with determination.

Law studied him for a few moments. "You like this sort of thing, don't you?"

"Look, two great things happened so far; I found out that I still have potential to grow into against strong opponents, and I've discovered a farmer's ability to make myself even stronger. How is this not good for me?"

Law scratched his head, then shrugged.

"Plus, I'm not bored, and I'm learning new things. I'm out of my comfort zone."

"I wasn't even sure if you were even _in_ it."

"Spider Miles was stifling me, and Earth was suffocating me. I'm not meant to be in one spot being one thing. With this situation, I can be different things. And look at you, being all independent, and shit. Is that what made you rob a bank?"

"Yeah."

Zoro smirked. "Bet you that fox is regretting his decision, now."

"I haven't even thought about that guy in _weeks_. Why are you bringing him up, now?"

"Who was that guy, anyway? Some moon prince? There's like, five of them…"

"Three, you bastard."

"Because you chose to prey on an innocent, defenseless little human – "

" _NO_ , it was the other way around!"

"Oh, so your dick just sort of tripped into him several times in a _fucking row_. Hah! ' _Fucking_ row'!"

"You're so fucking crude, shove the fuck off."

: :

Nami looked up, the bells ringing on the door as it opened. She looked up from her floating computer panels, watching with a critical expression as the man approached her desk, looking around with a sneer to his face. He was very tall, having to hunch a little as he swept up to her desk. She didn't think too much of his feather coat and hat – it looked too much for her. Because of the battle that had happened nearly a month ago, she was forced to work in the computer room as a precaution, using her AI form to keep herself out in the open while the guys were away. The mood within all of them were somber, quiet, and her husband had been a little subdued, lately.

It was hard for her to climb out of bed sometimes, but on the days that she did, she began feeling a little better. She just wished she could talk to either of the three that had left them; her heart ached with their absence.

"Can I help you?" she asked stiffly, her purple form shifting from behind the desk to face him from the side of it.

"I'm looking for someone," the man said in stunted English. "My son. We had a misunderstanding."

" _Who_?" Nami asked, alerting the guys at the shop with some fear as she looked up at his face, trying to see Sanji in those features.

"He was registered here at this address. It's urgent that I speak with him."

"How can I help you if I don't know who you are?"

"I apologize. I am Corazon."

Nami's eyebrows jumped into her hairline as she looked him over. She was startled that she hadn't even made the connection, fist to her temple with forgetfulness. "I'm really sorry, sir! But…he moved out some time ago. He didn't say where he was going."

He frowned heavily, jaw tense. It took him a few moments before he asked, "Was he alone?"

"No."

"Did you know him?"

"Yes, we worked together numerous times."

"Was he…he was with a human?"

" _Yes_ ," Nami answered firmly. "But I refuse to say anymore than that. If he hadn't said anything to you, then I can't answer for him."

"I understand. Another question. Did a fox come through here at any time? He was in this area."

"No," Nami answered, shaking her head. "Law had mentioned that he had a fiancé, but the guy dumped him. He was broke, he couldn't go very far. But he had his reasons to go. He's not here on Earth…I've looked for them. They were my friends…"

Corazon's lips thinned, jaw tensing once more. He looked down at the floor, then examined the office for some moments. Nami stared at him curiously, a little in awe over facing royalty – over the fact that she was looking at Law's father. He didn't talk about them much, but to know that he was part of that entire circle…!

"Was this human from here?" he then asked.

"No."

"Law was suddenly interested about Germa. Why?"

"I don't know. He was nosey about a lot of things. He always asked about a lot of random subjects."

"Did he leave behind anything? Books? Notebooks? Anything?"

Nami shook her head – she was lying, because they kept Law's apartment untouched. Waiting for him to come back if he needed to. But she didn't want to say much to this man if Law suddenly dropped contact with him. He must have had his reasons.

"No. He didn't have much, he wasn't planning on staying on Earth very long," she said. "He was set on marrying that fox, and when that fell through, he…stayed for a friend. But then this thing with…the human, it was…he was happy."

Corazon's face twisted with disgust. "'Happy'? With a _human_?"

"Apparently so." Nami fiddled with her fingers, looking slightly ashamed. "Enough to take on the universe and run away with him."

Corazon frowned. But he said nothing more, giving a long exhale through his nose. He then nodded his head, turning away. "Thank you. If the fox does come by, please tell him his time is limited."

"S-sure," Nami murmured, watching him leave. She wondered if she should feel some way about the entire thing, but as Luffy and the others burst in through the kitchen doors, all of them tense and ready to fight, she felt the feeling go away. "Guys, it's okay. False alarm."

"What happened?" Luffy asked, sniffing the air. "Ugh, _cigarettes_."

'Corazon was looking for Law."

"So, he _didn't_ go home," Franky said, shoulders slumping.

"It sounds like he couldn't," Nami murmured with a pained expression. "When I told him he'd left with …well, he'd asked confirmation, if he were with a 'human', and…it was repeated with such disgust…"

"When he first arrived, he didn't think too much of humans," Bepo said, fiddling with the desk. "He looked at us with disdain, but he warmed up right after that. He wasn't bad, he was just…but he didn't want to go home, anyway. He spoke of it like it was a duty."

"Wherever they went, I just hope…and I'm not saying this sarcastically, or with any malice, but I hope they're happy," Luffy muttered.

"Luffy…if possible, why don't I try and track them down, and – "

"No. I can't risk it. They knew when you were looking into their personal information, I bet they're watching us," Luffy said stiffly. "They probably already know that they're gone."

All of them were then silent, Nami looked at the desk. She had some pictures there – of the crew, of herself with Luffy, and in the recent ones, she looked over Sanji's smiling face with Brook at the window, at Law scowling while Zoro said something to him, Bepo's eyes wide with horror – at a group pic of all the crew where Law tried to hide behind Franky and Zoro flexed impressive arms and Sanji grinned at Zeff's shoulder. Her heart ached again.

Luffy reached out to touch her, having entered the computer room as she sat at the chair, the towers around her whirring noisily as they helped maintain her form outside. He gave her a worried look as the others headed to the kitchen to look over leftovers from last night. "Nami…I'm sorry. I feel like I did something wrong."

"No," she said, wiping her eyes. "It's just…the decision was made as a majority, I just…miss them. But admire them, too. And I'm happy for them, I just…it feels wrong to have let them go. They were our friends – they are our friends."

"They will always be."

"I just think that they felt abandoned and rejected, and…I can't take this anymore," she sniffled, grabbing tissue nearby. "Because they weren't! and Zoro was brave, he just thought – those are his friends, he'll just be with them anyway…!"

Luffy sighed heavily, brushing his hands through her hair. Leaning in to nuzzle her neck, kiss her tears away. He said nothing, though, just letting her cry. Eventually, though, something would change for them. All it took was some time.


	22. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Bonney brushed her hair back from her face, quietly lowering herself to the top step. She could see that the Vinsmoke siblings were clustered around each other, talking in angry tones, but as usual, it was her husband that dictated their action. She wasn't used to the fact that Ichiji was now Niji – she wouldn't let him touch her, causing mild spats between them. Not that Ichiji wanted to touch her with his brother's body, but he was more insulted that she'd even _think_ that he wanted to – so on, and so on.

The family was in a quiet uproar, and Bonney was supposed to have no idea _why_.

She smirked.

It was amazing how panicked the all mighty Vinsmokes were over this recent development. She watched them talk quietly amongst each other, marching towards the communications tower of the airship. They were coming undone from the inside, with her husband becoming the most unglued. Sanji had been the weaker one out of all of them, and yet he'd successfully escaped their tries. Maybe it wasn't him exactly – she heard a lot of cursing over a cat – but he was a thorn that made them panic. Jajji's health had failed since then, leaving him bedridden. She wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but his body seemed to be failing on him.

It had only been out of sympathy when she found Sanji in the dungeons – she had been there, that day, when Zeff catered for her birthday here. The brothers had been horrible to her, but she lacked interaction with Sanji because he'd been in the kitchen, helping the old man. Bonney had witnessed the horrible attack Jajji used to punish the man for allowing one of his sons to be used as a common 'servant', and she'd been there to see the brothers beating on Sanji for being caught.

So to find him there years later, made her wonder – what was so dangerous about him?

"Finish what she started," Bonney's mother had told her before her wedding night. Not long after that, her family's empire had crumbled, and Jajji took it over. Her parents, considered 'Celestials', were killed in the takeover. Whether it was planned or just convenience, her parents' legacy died with Jajji's actions. She carried resentment for the Vinsmokes, and had vowed to take them down in any way possible.

If they'd kept Sanji in the dungeons like a prisoner, then he was valuable to her plans. So releasing him into space had only proved her right – he would be her support, and he wouldn't even know it.

She left the stairway and made her way back to her room.

: :

Sanji stared up at the night skies, listening to the screech of animals all around them. There were monkeys in the trees that shrieked at each other, insects buzzing, and low drone as heavy machinery took to the air to hover over crops, protecting them against the sharp chill in the air. He saw his breath as he exhaled, but it was a different sort of chill than the snowy one on Earth. It was damp and thick, like breathing in fog.

Florence sat at his feet, her head tucked on his shoe, and Chopper snored just a short distance away, with other Water Givers. The smell of fires made him inhale deeply, and he felt the porch shift with weight when he was approached.

"What'cha thinking about?"

Sanji thought about his answer before he answered Zoro, "Just reaching back into my memory for useful things."

"Anything interesting?"

"What made you step in for me?" he asked, looking at the tiger. "The first time. When Yonji approached us?"

"It really wasn't my decision. That cat manipulated me with words that made it _seem_ like it was my idea," Zoro answered with a frown.

Sanji snorted. "Like you're easily manipulated."

"I know, right?"

Sanji looked up at the stars, examining the brilliant colors for a few moments before saying low, "I'm starting to get angry."

"Angry is always good."

"Now that I know what it feels like to lose something, it won't happen again."

"Be realistic."

"It won't happen again," Sanji repeated, fingers curling on the railing.

"Sometimes having heart isn't enough."

"Then, what else?"

Zoro nodded. "We'll start training in the morning. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Florence sat up, yawning. She walked away, making her way into Ussop's room. Sanji pushed away from the railing with a sigh. "I'm tired."

"Hi, tired, I'm Zoro."

"Shut up. Where's my cat?"

"'Yours'?"

"MINE. _I_ seduced him, he's mine."

Zoro laughed loudly. "Yeah, I heard. I'm surprised his hair hasn't fallen out, yet."

"I work on him, he won't be so shy, anymore."

"You're a mini-terrorist."

"But, admittedly, you're mine, too. So."

" _Pft_. Dream on."


End file.
